To the Editor:

Lung cancer kills more people than breast, colon and prostate cancer combined and is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., behind only heart disease. 

Despite these statistics, lung cancer receives the least amount of federal funding for research among these cancers.

Breast cancer research typically receives 16 times that of lung cancer research. 

We are co-chairing the Lung Cancer Task Force of the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, one of the leading national cancer centers based in Madison, Wis.

The UW"s Lung Cancer Program provides world-class clinical care coupled with outstanding research, but we need more research support to expedite new discoveries from the laboratory to the bedside.

In the next three years, we plan to raise $4 million to support Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, a new facility on the UW-Madison campus that unites basic scientists and clinicians and sets the stage to translate discoveries into treatment. The state of Wisconsin pledged a $2.5 million match, and we need $1.3 million more to finish lung cancer research space in this state-of-the-art complex.

We also plan to raise $2.7 million to recruit world-class lung cancer scientists and to conduct initial studies to advance lung cancer research.

We need your support for the UW"s Lung Cancer Program now more than ever! If you are interested in learning more, please contact Steve Ramig at the UW Foundation, 608-265-3527 or steve.ramig@uwfoundation.wisc.edu. 

Thank you,

GEORGE AND CANDY GIALAMAS AND FRED JOHNSON,

Co-chairmen, Lung Cancer Task Force