LUNGevity Foundation and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center host "Breathe Hope: Celebrating Lung Cancer Survivors and their Caregivers"

Nation's largest lung cancer research organization kicks off first Nashville Breathe Hope event as part of effort to spark national conversation about lung cancer

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- LUNGevity Foundation, the nation's largest lung cancer organization and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center are hosting 75 lung cancer survivors and caregivers tomorrow evening during the first Nashville "Breathe Hope" event, November 5 at the University Club of Nashville from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. The event will address advancements in lung cancer research and clinical care. Dr. Pierre Massion, M.D., associate professor of medicine and cancer biology at Vanderbilt, and LUNGevity Foundation President Andrea Stern Ferris are co-hosting the event. Dr. Massion also chairs LUNGevity's scientific advisory board.

"LUNGevity is pleased to collaborate with the top notch Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Dr. Pierre Massion in hosting our first Nashville "Breathe Hope" event," said Andrea Stern Ferris. "In addition to having the nation's largest lung cancer research grants program, LUNGevity seeks to build communities of support for those impacted by the disease and offer information and hope. In fact, LUNGevity's Breathe Deep Nashville run/walk is taking place tomorrow during the day, giving the lung cancer community a place to share, heal and hope. Tomorrow evening's event is in a similar spirit, but will help arm those affected with critical information."

LUNGevity's Breathe Hope events celebrate survivorship, science, hope and life, and are part of the Foundation's nationwide effort to spark a conversation about lung cancer to end lung cancer now.  During the event, lung cancer survivor Terri Simon will discuss the challenges faced by patients and caregivers and the need for more public awareness of and support for families dealing with this deadly disease.

Prominent Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center lung cancer experts will highlight the latest trends in lung cancer research and treatment, including the promise of personalized cancer medicine. Thanks to advances in genetic research, physicians can now identify several important genetic mutations in the tumors of individual patients and use that information to match patients to new lung cancer therapies. This ability to match the right patient to the right therapy at the right time is the hallmark of personalized medicine.

Vanderbilt-Ingram researchers are also actively working to identify biomarkers in a patient's blood or urine which could be used to diagnose lung cancer at an earlier stage when the disease is still curable.

When: Saturday, November 5, 2011
Time: 6 – 8 p.m.
Where: University Club of Nashville
2402 Garland Avenue, Nashville Tenn., 37212
To RSVP: www.breathehopenashville.com or 615-936.0322
Participants will also enjoy hors d'oeuvres and cocktails during the event.

SOURCE LUNGevity Foundation