Lung Cancer Treatment Decision-Making Tool Available (NAPSA)—Patients with lung cancer are getting help with treatment decision-making. The Na- tional Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), in a partnership with the American Cancer Society, has produced Lung Cancer Treatment Guidelines for Patients. “This collaboration provides access to patient versions of the same guidelines oncologists use to aid their decisions about appropriate treatment,” said William T. McGivney, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the NCCN. “Our goal is to inform and facilitate this critical decision-making process between patient and physician.” These guidelines were produced by translating the NCCN’s “Clini- cal Practice Guidelines,” originally designed for oncologists, into reliable, specific, easy-to-understand materials for patients with lung cancer, their families and care- givers. Among the topics covered are: types of lung cancer, tests and exams, types of treatment, clinical trials information and a helpful glossary of lung cancer terms. Patients are also provided with the same “decision trees” used by “We want people with lung cancerto understand their treatment options.” death in the United States. “We want people with lung cancer to understand their treatment options,” said Robert C. Young, M.D., former national volunteer president of the American Cancer Society and president of Fox Chase Cancer Center, a founding member of the NCCN.“These materials will help patients take a moreactive role in their own health care and guide them through the treatment decision-makingprocess.” Lung Cancer Treatment Guide- lines for Patients is part of an informational series to help patients and their families make more informed decisions regard- ing their treatment. Other guidelines cover supportive care topics such as nausea and vomiting; fever and neutropenia; cancerrelated fatigue and anemia; and types of lung cancer. These charts cancer pain. Other items in the series provide information on melanomaaswell as cancer of the prostate, breast, ovaries, colon According to the American These materials, in English and Spanish, are available for free at their doctors. These flowcharts rep- resent the appropriate course of treatment for each stage of specific are invaluable in determining the mosteffective course of treatment. CancerSociety, there will be about 171,900 new cases of lung cancer in 2003. Smoking is the main risk factor for the disease. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer and rectum andbladder. www.nccn.org and bycalling 1-888909-NCCN.For more information about lung cancer, contact the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org or 1-800-ACS-2345.
