LCOF Grants Program

The Lung Cancer Online Grants Program is based on the premise that additional sources of funding are needed to accelerate advances in lung cancer research and to spur progress in improving the quality of care, and the duration and quality of life of people with lung cancer.

The Grants Program supports the work of qualified individuals and groups conducting research in lung cancer and related fields and funds fellowships to train lung cancer specialists.

LCOF funding priorities are set by the Board of Directors in consultation with members of the Scientific Advisory Board. All funding decisions are solely the responsibility of the LCOF Board of Directors. LCOF does not accept unsolicited grant proposals.

Grants & Awards - 2005

WALC-LCOF Career Development Award

This 2-year $100,000 award is for junior clinical and basic investigators involved in lung cancer etiology, prevention, and treatment. Women Against Lung Cancer (WALC) and The Lung Cancer Online Foundation (LCOF) are co-sponsoring this program to create a critical mass of lung cancer researchers to ensure effective translation of basic and behavioral research discoveries into patient therapies to reduce lung cancer incidence, morbidity and mortality.

Hayley McDaid, PhD, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, was selected as the inaugural recipient of the WALC-LCOF Career Development Award for her research into how lung cancer cells respond to targeted therapies and how the cells become resistant to the effects of these drugs. Dr. McDaid's work will address the urgent need to identify and test novel therapeutic strategies that take into account the molecular complexity and heterogeneity of lung cancer.

Grants & Awards - 2003 & 2004

The Role of Estrogen in Lung Cancer
Principal Investigator: Ann G. Schwartz, PhD, MPH, Karmanos Cancer Institute

Abstract: In 2003, an estimated 80,100 women in the US were diagnosed with lung cancer and 68.800 died from this disease. While lung cancer incidence rates among men have leveled off, rates among women continue to increase. While tobacco smoke is the major risk factor for this disease, studies have shown variation in susceptibility to tobacco smoke by sex. In addition, the proportion of nonsmoking lung cancer cases in women is about double that in men suggesting that even nonsmoking women may be more susceptible to lung carcinogens than nonsmoking men. A role for hormones in determining lung cancer risk is suggested by the reported gender differences in susceptibility. The aim of this study is to evaluate the contribution of tobacco exposure (both active and passive), estrogen use, and reproductive history in determining risk of lung cancer in women using data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study. WHI enrolled 93,676 women and continues to follow these women for health outcomes. Reproductive history, use of estrogen replacement therapy and oral contraceptives, and tobacco exposure were collected. In this cohort of women, 460 new lung cancer developed during follow-up. The data from this study provide an excellent, well-developed resource for the evaluation of risk factors for lung cancer in women, focusing on estrogen exposures.

Translational Research in Bronchioloalveolar Carcinoma (BAC) of the Lung
Principal Investigator: David C. Christiani, MD, MPH, MS, Harvard School of Public Health

Abstract: Recent research studies have observed an increase of the BAC cell type within adenocarcinoma, currently the most widespread lung cancer subtype. BAC has unique features, such as involvement of both lungs, comparatively slow course, and increasing incidence over the past 20 years. Although changes in cigarette types and in smoking patterns may explain some of the shifts in the major subtypes, they do not appear to account for the apparent increase in BAC—a type that appears in non-smokers as well. Although lung cancer is heavily studied, we know very little about BAC. This research study will help us to understand the epidemiology of BAC, how we might develop ways of preventing it, and also about its molecular characteristics in order to help develop more effective treatments.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Methylphenidate for Fatigue in Patients with Advanced NSCLC
Principal Investigator: Jennifer Temel, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital

Abstract: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a prevalent disease and the majority of patients are diagnosed with advanced stage disease at presentation. These patients experience a high symptom burden and fatigue is one of the most common and distressing symptoms they experience. Cancer-related fatigue can be very difficult to manage when there is no clear underlying etiology, such as anemia. Psychostimulants, such as methylphenidate, have been examined in cancer patients for the treatment of depression, cognitive dysfunction and fatigue. However, there are no published randomized, controlled studies clearly demonstrating their efficacy cancer-related fatigue. This study will examine the role of methylphenidate for the treatment of cancer-related fatigue in patients with advanced lung cancer. Participants will be randomized to methylphenidate or placebo and will be monitored for fatigue, quality of life, depression, and drug side effects.