Ivy Elkins, MBA
Joan H. Schiller, MD, FACP
ILCN editorial group members release 5th edition of advocacy book
Author Joan Schiller, MD, adjunct professor, University of Virginia, Fairfax, and her co-author Ivy Elkins, MBA, recently released an updated edition of Lung Cancer: Your Questions & Expert Answers.
The fifth edition of the book gives patients authoritative and practical answers to their most common questions. It also features new sections with important questions for patients to ask their doctors, information on staging criteria for small cell and non-small cell lung cancer, and a comprehensive list of additional resources.
Internationally recognized for her work in lung cancer, Dr. Schiller has served as chairperson of the Thoracic Oncology Committee of the Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group, as an editor for the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and as a board member for the IASLC. Ms. Elkins, who was diagnosed with EGFR-positive stage IV lung cancer at 47, is a patient advocate and co-founder of the EGFR Resisters.
Both Dr. Schiller and Ms. Elkins are members of the ILCN editorial group.
US FDA targets menthol, flavored cigars
The US Food and Drug Administration has proposed new rules that would prohibit the use of menthol to flavor cigarettes and any flavors (other than tobacco) in cigars. The agency said in its announcement that the changes may significantly reduce tobacco-related disease and death by preventing young people from initiating smoking.
In its proposal, the FDA said menthol’s flavor and sensory effects increase appeal and make menthol cigarettes easier to use, particularly among youth and young adults.
According to the FDA, there are more than 18.5 million menthol cigarette smokers ages 12 and older in the United States.
“This proposed product standard would reduce the appeal of cigarettes, particularly to youth and young adults, and thereby decrease the likelihood that nonusers who would otherwise experiment with menthol cigarettes would progress to regular smoking,” the FDA said in its proposal. “In addition, the proposed tobacco product standard would improve the health and reduce the mortality risk of current menthol cigarette smokers by decreasing cigarette consumption and increasing the likelihood of cessation.”
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