November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month; Indiana University experts available for interviews

Newswise — November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center’s scientists, physician-scientists, and staff are available to offer expertise in treatment innovations, the biology of lung cancers, research initiatives, and tips for successful smoking cessation.

• Greg Durm, M.D., focuses his research on the development of novel approaches to the treatment of lung cancer, especially immunotherapy-based approaches. He is looking at ways to improve the early detection of cancer cells in patients who have undergone curative therapy, and he collaborates with colleagues at IU and other centers to improve translational research and bring new therapies and tests from the bench to the bedside.
• Nasser Hanna, M.D., an oncologist specializing in thoracic oncology, leads several clinical trials for first-line treatments and for metastatic disease. He can discuss the epidemiology of lung cancer in smokers and non-smokers, inflammation and lung cancer, treatment strategies and the future of lung cancer therapies. He is the founder of End Lung Cancer Now, an initiative of the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center that seeks to educate and empower patient advocates to eliminate tobacco use in Indiana, screen all eligible patients with chest CT scans, and dramatically increase participation in lung cancer research.
• Deborah Hudson Buckles, tobacco control program leader at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, offers expertise on smoking cessation, quitting smoking, tobacco, nicotine, vaping, and e-cigarettes. She also can talk about the health benefits associated with quitting smoking, which include a lowered risk of lung cancer and other types of cancer and reduced risk for heart disease and respiratory illnesses.
• Shadia Jalal, M.D., a thoracic oncologist, focuses on management on all forms of lung cancer. Her research interest is focused on the study of DNA repair capacity and its impact on patient response to chemotherapy.
• Catherine R. Sears, M.D., has a unique perspective on the burdens of lung cancer because of her training in pulmonary and critical care medicine. Her research involves improving early lung cancer detection through screening, studying optimal treatment of early-stage lung cancers and determining the impact of DNA damage and repair on the pathogenesis of lung cancer.

To schedule an interview with any of these experts, contact Candace Gwaltney, associate director of communications at IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, [email protected].