COVID-19 and Lung Cancer

4.14.20

The Lung Cancer Community; doctors, organization, hospitals, and patients, have been working overtime to learn everything possible about this new coronavirus (COVID-19) and how it could possibly affect those of us with lung cancer, especially, on how to keep us safe. They have created resources to give us the most relevant, current, and important information.

Resources

While our first source of information should be the World Health Organization, and our respective government health departments (eg: CDC, NHS, PHAOC, ADOH) the information below is specifically about lung cancer, has been verified, created or curated by experts.

  1. Website: Joint Statements on Coronavirus (COVID-19) from Lung Cancer Advocacy Groups

    Of all of the resources, this one is the most important. It is updated weekly with essential and pertinent information, curated by the lung cancer groups, including LUNGevity and GO2 Foundation.

    • Updated weekly on Monday at 1PM EST.

  2. Video: GO2 Foundation Special Edition Living Room on COVID-19

    Educational video focused on patients with Natalie Thornburg, PhD, Respiratory Virus Immunologist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Max Diehn, MD/PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, and moderated by Amy Moore, PhD, Director of Science and Research at GO2.

  3. Podcast: IASLC COVID-19 Facts and Impacts for the Lung Cancer Community

    Discussion of the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on lung cancer patients and healthcare providers. Featuring Janet Freeman- Daily, writer, lung cancer patient, advocate and Twitter chat moderator of the Lung Cancer Social Media chat (#LCSMchat), Dr. Amy Moore, Director of Science and Research at the Go2 Foundation, Dr. Upal Basu Roy, Vice President of Research at LUNGevity Foundation, and Dr. Lecia Sequist, Director of Center for Innovation and Early Cancer Detection at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Landry Family Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

  4. Learn more at these websites created exclusively about lung cancer and COVID-19: LUNGevity, GO2, IASLC.

Assistance

If you are suffering financially because of COVID-19, these may be able to help:

  1. LUNGevity Launches Breathe Easier: An Emergency Response Fund for COVID-19

  2. CancerCare Financial Assistance Program for COVID-19

If you’re feeling unwelcome stress and anxiety, please know that this is normal and there are resources to help:

  1. CDC on Stress and Coping during COVID-19

  2. Cure Magazine: How Patients with Cancer, and Survivors, Can Manage Stress Through COVID-19 Uncertainty

  3. LUNGevity’s Helpline: 844-360-5864

  4. Free excellent meditations about anxiety, overwhelm and stress at Headspace and Calm

  5. Check in with your ALK Positive Support Group, we are here for you!

Cori Casebeer