Ellen Sigal and Jeff Allen of Friends of Cancer Research Named September LUNGevity Heroes

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- LUNGevity Foundation announces Friends of Cancer Research Chairperson and Founder Ellen Sigal, PhD, and Executive Director Jeff Allen, PhD, as the September LUNGevity Heroes for the work they have done advocating for policies to improve health outcomes and cancer care and for forming important partnerships that have resulted in the creation of groundbreaking initiatives such as Lung Cancer Master Protocol (Lung-MAP).

Lung-MAP is a novel multi-drug, public and privately-collaborated, biomarker-based clinical trial for patients with advanced squamous cell lung cancer.  The trial tests five experimental drugs on patients who are best matched to succeed with each treatment as determined by the results of pre-screening for genetic alterations.

By utilizing a groundbreaking approach to conducting clinical trials, Lung-MAP will streamline the process for all involved parties, speeding up research results for the scientific community, drug accessibility to patients, and successful drugs to market. The trial is an extraordinary contribution to the lung cancer community and the greater scientific research community.  

"This diverse, collaborative approach, with support from leading lung cancer advocacy organizations, helps to ensure that the needs of patients, clinicians, developers, and regulators are all considered in the design and operation of the trial," said Dr. Ellen Sigal, Chair & Founder of Friends of Cancer Research.

Lung-MAP continues the tradition of Dr. Sigal and Dr. Allen's advocacy in Friends of Cancer Research – using partnerships and open dialogue to help patients to access treatments safely and efficiently.

"Dr. Sigal and Dr. Allen have not only been able to show that there is a faster and more efficient way to achieve scientific progress, but also that the concepts 'pro-business' and 'patient-centric' are not mutually exclusive," said Andrea Ferris, president and chairman of LUNGevity Foundation. "With the help of government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, advocacy groups, and other nonprofits, we can provide vital, life-extending treatments to those diagnosed with lung cancer. Through creative collaboration, our community has the potential to achieve remarkable progress."

For more on Dr. Sigal and Dr. Allen, visit the LUNGevity Heroes Spotlight at http://blog.lungevity.org.

For more information on LUNGevity Foundation, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.

About Lung Cancer

• 1 in 14 Americans is diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime
• More than 224,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year
• About 60% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers
• Lung cancer kills more people than the next three cancers (colorectal, breast, and pancreatic) combined
• Only 17% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, BUT if it's caught before it spreads, the chance for 5-year survival improves dramatically

About LUNGevity Foundation

LUNGevity Foundation is firmly committed to making an immediate impact on increasing quality of life and survivorship of people with lung cancer by accelerating research into early detection and more effective treatments, as well as by providing community, support, and education for all those affected by the disease. Our vision is a world where no one dies of lung cancer. For more information about LUNGevity Foundation, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.

SOURCE LUNGevity Foundation