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In
Memory of Karen Parles
After an eleven year struggle with non-small cell lung cancer, Karen Parles died of complications of her illness in the early morning hours of February 16, 2009. She dedicated her life and her energies to the well being of her family and friends, and to improving the quality of care and information provided to people living with lung cancer. Upon Karen’s diagnosis in 1998, lung cancer was a stigmatized disease, and her children were eight and seven years old. Patients were treated largely as orphans by the establishments that allocated resources to care, research and outreach. Celebrities only died of cancer, never of lung cancer. Karen harnessed her outrage over this state of affairs to drag forward the leading edge of change. She started this website, joined support and advocacy groups, served on national and local committees with leading lung cancer specialists, coauthored 100 Questions and Answers About Lung Cancer, and directly answered the questions of thousands of patients across the globe regarding issues related to living with lung cancer. For her efforts she was awarded a Bicentennial Medal by Williams College, her alma mater, and the Catherine Logan Award for Service to Survivorship by the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. Her greatest reward, however, was living long enough with lung cancer to see her efforts bear fruit. Lung cancer patients now receive greater respect as well as more and better information about their illness, lung cancer research is more appropriately funded, celebrity deaths are now attributed to “lung cancer”, and her children are now adults.
A CaringBridge site in memory of Karen has been created to enable friends and family to stay connected. |
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Finding the
Best Medical Care
physicians & hospital locators • lung cancer programs
• second opinions • your health care team • communication
& self-advocacy • issues that impact care (medical records management, multidisciplinary care) |
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Services
& Support
support organizations • support groups (Internet, phone & in-person)
• smoking cessation resources • financial & insurance
issues • home care & hospice • caregiver & family
issues • survivors' stories |
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Lung Cancer
Information
general information • types of lung cancer • non-small
cell lung cancer (nsclc) • small cell lung cancer (sclc) •
bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (bac) • diagnosis & staging
• prognosis & survival |
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Treatment
Options
surgery • chemotherapy • radiation • treatment
by stage • treatment of metastases • treatment of elderly patients & patients with co-morbid conditions • clinical trials resources • anti-angiogenesis
• biological therapies • gene therapy • molecular-targeted
therapies • photodynamic therapy • treatment agents
& regimens • complementary & alternative medicine • palliative care |
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Symptoms,
Side Effects & Complications
allergic reactions • anemia • arthralgias • blood clots • bronchorrhea (increased sputum) •cardiotoxicity • constipation • depression
• diarrhea • extravasation • eye (ocular) changes • fatigue • fever • hair loss
• hand-foot syndrome • hemoptysis (bloody sputum) • hypertension • lung collapse • mucositis • nausea & vomiting • neoplastic
& paraneoplastic syndromes • neutropenia • nutritional
problems • oral complications • pain • peripheral
neuropathy • pleural & pericardial effusions • sexuality & reproductive
effects • shortness of breath • skin problems •
spinal cord compression • vocal cord paralysis |
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Tests &
Procedures
biopsy • bronchoscopy • chemosensitivity tests •
lab/blood tests • mediastinoscopy • nuclear tests (including PET/CT) • ports & catheters
• pulmonary function tests • radiology tests •
thoracentesis • airway stents |
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Surviving
Lung Cancer
follow-up care • rehabilitation programs & exercise • emotional
concerns • long term & late effects • practical
matters (diet, employment issues, travel) |
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Websites
& Organizations
Internet cancer guides • cancer websites & organizations
• pharmaceutical companies |
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Researching
the Medical Literature
medical literature databases • treatment guidelines resources •
medical libraries • conference proceedings • professional
journals • medical reference • lung cancer bibliographies |
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