AFTERNOON. WE WANT TO SHED

LIGHT ON A CONDITION. IMPACTING

MORE AND MORE. ASIAN AMERICAN

WOMEN, AND IT REMAINS A MYSTERY

AS TO WHY LUNG CANCER IS THE

2ND MOST COMMON CANCER IN BOTH

MEN AND WOMEN HERE IN THE

UNITED STATES. AND NOW A BAY

AREA BASED STUDY FINDS THAT 80%

80% OF ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN

WITH LUNG CANCER. NEVER SMOKED.

THEY'RE ALSO 1.5, TO 2 TIMES

MORE LIKELY TO BE DIAGNOSED

THAN ANY OTHER RACE. GROUP. I

SPOKE WITH THE RESEARCHERS AND

PATIENTS WHO ARE WORKING TO

FIGURE OUT WHAT'S BEHIND THIS.

Reporter>VICKY NEEDS DOESN'T

TAKE WALKS LIKE THIS FOR

GRANTED. EACH STEP HAS A

PURPOSE, AND SHE'S RARELY BY

HERSELF. AND IF YOU HAPPEN TO

PASS THEM, YOU MIGHT THINK

THESE ARE JUST 2 FRIENDS

CATCHING UP. BUT THE WOMEN WHO

JOIN HER ALL SHARE A COMMON

BOND. THEY ALL HAVE STAGE 4

LUNG CANCER.

STARTED 5. YEARS OF WHEN SHE

GOT A CALL. FROM HER DOCTOR.

BUT I REMEMBER VIVIDLY.

THAT HE CALLED ME WHILE WE WERE

OUT HAVING DINNER. YEAH. AND,

UM, LEFT A VOICEMAIL.

Reporter>BEFORE SHE KNEW IT.

VICKY WAS SITTING IN AN

ONCOLOGIST OFFICE.

CANCER COMES OUT OF

DOCTORS, MOUTH, SO THAT'S KIND

OF NOT

Reporter>GOOD. NEVER SMOKED A

DAY IN HER LIFE. BUT YET THIS

48 YEAR OLD MOTHER OF 2 HAS

STAGE 4 LUNG CANCER.

NOW 53. AND THE TREATMENT. HAVE

BEEN BRUTAL. THEY'VE GIVEN HER

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND HIGH

CHOLESTEROL. CANCER. HAS NOW

SPREAD TO HER. ABDOMEN. BUT

IT'S NOT THE PHYSICAL SIDE

EFFECTS THAT HURT THE MOST.

VICKY HAS 2 DAUGHTERS, WHO WERE

13 AND 15 WHEN SHE WAS 1ST

DIAGNOSED.

AGO, VICKY WAS ASKED TO

PARTICIPATE. IN A RESEARCH

PROGRAM AT UCSF. CALLED FANS

FANS. STANDING FOR FEMALE

ASIAN. NEVER SMOKERS. LAUNCHED

15 YEARS AGO BY DR SCARLETT

GOMEZ. AND DR IONA CHANG A 1ST

OF ITS KIND STUDY IN THE US ON

WHY LUNG CANCER RATES WERE

RISING. AMONG ASIAN FEMALES.

WHO NEVER SMOKED.

RATES ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN

DECLINING. OVER THE PAST

SEVERAL DECADES. BUT WHAT WAS

SORT OF EMERGED AS AN UNUSUAL

OBSERVATION IS THAT THE

EXCEPTION TO THAT TREND WAS

AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN

Reporter>FEMALE DOCTORS HOPE

THE FANS STUDY LEADS TO THE

DEVELOPMENT OF MORE

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES AND

SCREENING. BUT ALSO GRABBED THE

ATTENTION OF THE FOLKS WITH THE

DEEP POCKETS. RIGHT NOW.

LISTEN, 1% OF FUNDING FROM THE

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH.

GOES TO DISEASES THAT IMPACT

THE ASIAN AMERICAN. COMMUNITY.

YEAH. VICKY. ISN'T SPENDING HER

ENERGY. WONDERING WHY OR HOW

SHE GOT LUNG CANCER.

SHE IS TURNING HER PAIN. INTO

OTHER WOMEN LIKE 34 YEAR OLD

KID HO, WHO SHE RECRUITED TO

ALSO BE PART OF THE FANS STUDY.

IT WAS DIAGNOSED ON

THANKSGIVING OF LAST YEAR.

DOCTORS DISCOVERED 4 TUMORS IN

HER BRAIN THAT THEY BELIEVE

WERE LINKED TO LUNG CANCER.

JUST LIKE VICKI. SHE NEVER

SMOKED. SHE'S ALSO A MOM.

WILL OFTEN JOINED VICKY ON OUR

WALKS. AL IN THE SAME FIGHT.

IT'S LIKE A A SAFETY

BLANKET FOR ME TO KNOW. OTHER

PEOPLE ARE IN THE AREA.

Reporter>CANCER HAS TAUGHT HER

ANYTHING IT'S THAT LIFE CAN

CHANGE. IN AN INSTANT. VICKY IS

FOCUSING ON THE THINGS THAT

BRING HER JOY FAMILY. FRIENDS.

AND HELPING OTHERS KNOW THAT

EVEN IN THEIR HARDEST MOMENTS,

THEY WON'T HAVE TO WALK THIS

PATH. ALONE.

Liz>NOW THE FANS STUDY LOOKS

AT A PATIENT'S GENETICS AND

FAMILY. HISTORY AS WELL AS AN

ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS AND

LIFESTYLE. EXPOSURES. THEY'RE

ALSO LOOKING FOR PARTICIPANTS

IS SPECIALLY OLDER ASIAN WOMEN

WHO DO NOT HAVE LUNG CANCER TO

JOIN THEIR STUDY FROM MORE FOR

MORE INFORMATION ON THE FENCE