Lung Cancer Run/Walk Is Sunday In Fairmount Park

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and an event on Sunday in Fairmount Park is designed to bring awareness to a cancer stigmatized because of the blame attached to it.

The Pennsylvania Lung Cancer Partnership's annual "Free to Breathe" 5K race this Sunday is joining dozens of other lung cancer awareness  events throughout November.

Event chair Nancy Gatschet says the run is designed to raise awareness and overcome the stigma attached to lung cancer -- that it is always caused by smoking.  But Gatschet says the truth is, more and more non-smokers are being diagnosed:

"So they smoked in their 20s, quit when they were 30.  They hit 50 and they're diagnosed.  For never-smokers, we're actually seeing an increase in incidents of younger women who never smoked developing lung cancer."

For more information, go to freetobreathe.com.

Reported by Karin Phillips, KYW Newsradio 1060.