In 2006, 174,470 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States. About 92,700 men and 81,770 women will develop the disease -- the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women.

An estimated 162,460 men and women will die of lung cancer this year, accounting for 28 percent of all cancer deaths and taking more lives than colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined. While most people diagnosed with lung cancer will die within the first two years of diagnosis -- this has not changed in 10 years -- some people are cured. There are currently about 333,000 long-term survivors.

The drug Vidaza (azacitadine) can be an effective treatment for those elderly patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who cannot tolerate standard treatments, according to the journal Cancer. Treatment for AML patients often starts off with induction chemotherapy followed by consolidation therapy. The induction therapy usually consists of chemotherapy that will provide complete remission. The consolidation therapy is further treatment to help prevent recurrence.

There haven't been many strides in recent years for elderly patients diagnosed with AML. Some of these patients do not seem to be able to tolerate the same treatments given to younger patients diagnosed with the disease.

Vidaza has not been extensively studied with AML but is the first drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for myelodysplastic syndromes. It does have promise to help those who cannot tolerate standard treatments for AML. Researchers at the Western Pennsylvania Cancer Institute developed a trial that included 20 patients older than 55. Sixty percent of the 20 patients had anticancer responses. The patients that did respond to Vidaza were still alive at 15 months, compared to only 2.5 months for those who did not respond to the drug.

Some campaigns just make me sad. UK's Age Concern, a charity that works to promote the health and welfare of older citizens, has launched a campaign called Hungry To Be Heard because it seems nine of of ten nurses do not have time to make sure elderly patients are getting enough to eat during their stay in the hospital. As a result, over half of the elderly patients are at risk for malnutrition. As hospital patients, if the elderly are malnourished, they simply are not going to recover or heal as quickly; they are at greater risk for post-surgical complications and they suffer a higher rate of death.

When Montel Williams testified before the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee in favor of medical marijuana for chronically ill patients, he referred to himself as a poster child for pot. Williams, who hosts a television talk show, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis almost a decade ago.

MS can cause debilitating pain. For those who might be unaware, let me share with you that Williams does not exaggerate. My sister-in-law suffered from MS all of her adult life, before losing her life to MS at the age of 40, and I will tell you first-hand, there is suffering. When I think of all the life that MS stole from her, and all that she endured, I feel frustration towards anyone who would have denied her the best quality of life available. I am fed up with the lack of compassion of those who would deny anyone suffering from chronic or life-threatening disease the best quality of life available to them. For Williams, it is medical marijuana that offers him the best quality of life possible.

After two days of meeting to discuss the safety and effectiveness of multivitamin and minerals supplements, MVMs, a 13-member independent panel of experts in the fields of food science and human nutrition, biostatistics, biochemistry, toxicology, geriatric medicine, family medicine, pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology, cancer prevention, epidemiology, disease prevention and health promotion, and consumer protection made the following observations and recommendations.

Older colon cancer patients are not completing the recommended course of chemotherapy treatment, and a new study suggests it might be because there is a need for social and physical support not currently offered to the elderly. In addition, other factors attributed to these patients dropping out of treatment are physical frailty and treatment complications. Chemotherapy is no walk in the park at any age, but if you are elderly, and do not have strong social support or someone to help you physically as needed to tend to the daily tasks of life, getting through treatment must be a horribly lonely and hopeless experience. Research indicates that patients who completed chemotherapy had a reduced risk of death. The authors of this study recommend interventions to improve social and physical support throughout the treatment course could be implemented to test whether such support improves rates of chemotherapy completion in elderly colon cancer patients. From a simply compassionate and common sense point of view, it should be obvious that we need to be there for the elderly citizens in our community in every way they need us to be there -- especially if they are struggling through cancer treatment.

Healthy single people can have moments where they anguish over the prospect that love is passing them by -- that it is too late -- that they are never going to meet that special person to spend the rest of their life. Cancer survivors tend to worry about this more, wondering if anyone can love them after the damage cancer has done to their body and their life. For all the forlorn who feel hope for love is lost, I have a story for you. In England's Isle of Wight County Press, is a feature story that makes you realize that hope is eternal, and there is no way of knowing what the future might hold in promise and bliss.

Una Seccull, 80, is a three-time cancer survivor, who was told at one time she only had hours to live. Ken Stotesbury, 84, is a prostate cancer survivor. This weekend the two will be married, with 70 family members and friends in attendance. Two years ago they met while being treated for cancer. When Una was too weak to care for herself, Ken suggested that she move in with him, so they could look after each other. Romance blossomed. Look at that photo! If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this photo says love a thousand times. What a beautiful couple! I was wondering if I had an Easter post, and I think I just found it in this one. Life just doesn't get any better than this story.

Photo credit: Georgia Russell -- Isle of Wight County Press