Twenty years ago, I wrote in the Los Angeles Times:
They are among the most unfortunate and least pitied of cancer victims.
First, they must face the fact that their diagnosis is almost always a death sentence. Then, in most cases, they have to come to terms with the reality that they brought the cancer on themselves by smoking cigarettes.
Each year, about 160,000 people die from the disease in the United States, more than any other cancer, yet, unlike other cancers, there are few groups for lung cancer patients who want to share stories and few advocates pushing for research breakthroughs.
Much has changed since then. New drugs and surgery have contributed to making lung cancer curable. At lease two groups now advocate for lung cancer patients. The push for lung cancer screening that triggered my reporting has led to a test for heavy smokers that can lead to a cure.
Still, fewer than 20 percent of cases are found early and only half of people diagnosed with the disease are alive after a year, according numbers from the National Institutes of Health.
The shocking lung cancer death of health writer Sharon Begley was a reminder of the shifting patterns of lung cancer. More women, more non-smokers. Here’s the story she left us with. 
More from me, from way back then. Still covering the lung cancer beat.
The Boston Globe: Are lung cancer victims second class citizens? The debate over lung cancer screening. July 11, 2000
Los Angeles Times: Lung cancer gender gap emerges and impacts younger women, including many non-smokers, March 26, 2001
