Luciano Pavarotti, possibly the most famous classical singer on earth, received a final sendoff this past weekend in his hometown of Modena, Italy. Pavarotti died last week of pancreatic cancer. More than 100,000 people filed through the cathedral and plaza, more than 700 guests attended the funeral mass and millions watched the live broadcast on television.

Pavarotti underwent surgery for a malignant pancreatic mass in July 2006. A month later, after his surgery, Pavarotti told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, "I was a fortunate and happy man. After that, this blow arrived. And now I am paying the penalty for this fortune and happiness."

One could not be surprised that Pavarotti felt this way. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers, with a five-year survival rate here in the U.S. of less than 5%, although surgery can improve survival greatly. Pancreatic cancer is also one of the most underfunded research areas in cancer. For more information about what you can do to increase funding for pancreatic cancer research and raise awareness of this deadly disease, please see PanCAN's action page.

Despite her recent breast cancer diagnosis, Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts is already speaking out about the cancer cause. In fact, she just recently spoke to a group of cancer survivors and activists at a fundraiser in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Roberts is also speaking about the relief she feels now that her diagnosis has been made public -- "It was like the weight of the world was lifted," she said.

Talking about cancer invites support. Roberts, 46, got some comforting words of support from Elizabeth Edwards just after her announcement. Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, is also fighting breast cancer.

The American Cancer Society plans to dedicate its entire $15 million advertising budget this upcoming year 2008 to the consequences of being uninsured in America, according to an article in The New York Times.

According to the article, the group cites frustration at cancer rates not dropping as quickly as hoped and recent research indicating that being uninsured leads to a delay in cancer detection as factors in its decision. The advertisements are nonpartisan and don't recommend specific solutions to the U.S. healthcare crisis, but they are intended to raise awareness of this issue as we head into the presidential campaign of 2008.

The TV ads for the campaign include one of images of uninsured cancer patients appearing fearful with a narrator saying, "We're making progress, but it's not enough if people don't have access to the care that could save their lives." Another commercial shows a young mother whose family has gone into serious debt because her insurance did not fully cover her cancer treatments.

I think this sounds like a great use of advertising money. Let's hope the campaign increases awareness among all Americans to press our politicians for change.

Isn't it a little odd to see arthritis being tied to lung cancer? That is precisely what a new research report has stated, though. The correlation between arthritis of the knee and initial signs of lung cancer in heavy smokers made up the conclusion of a new report yet to be published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Monoarthritis -- inflammation in just one knee joint -- was found to be the first sign of non-small lung cancer in a group of patients that were studied. The interesting thing here is that all those lung cancer cases were completely undiagnosed before each knee arthritis case was examined.

The good news is that the lung cancer in most of these men who were studied (all of which had been heavy smokers) were in the operable stage -- and when the cancerous tissue had been removed from each patient, knee arthritis problems subsided. Interesting connection, yes?

U.S. Census Bureau data released this week shows a rise in the number of American lacking health insurance. The Census Bureau data shows that 47 million people did not have coverage in 2006, up from 44.8 million in 2005. The number of children without healthcare coverage also rose to 8.7 million children up from 8 million.

The main reason for the increase is that employment-based coverage rates continue to fall. According to the survey, almost 59% of the uninsured worked during 2006. Adults aged 18 to 34 make up the largest portion of the uninsured.

I've watched beloved family and friends battle cancer and even with the best health insurance going, it was still an uphill battle. I can't imagine what it's like for those who don't have health insurance. Let's hope our country can figure this one out.

For a review of the coverage on this survey including the responses from the Bush administration, lawmakers and presidential candidates, please see the Kaiser Daily Health Report here.

With next year's presidential election still over a year away, candidate hopefuls are cranking up the heat on health issues and the stances being taken. Seeing as cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., it is sure to take front stage quite a bit between now and late next year.

In the latest edition, Kansas Senator Sam Brownback and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee have joined Senator John Edwards in stating publicly that they intend to fight cancer with increased funding and research.

One of the largest and most viewable aspects of cancer topics -- cigarette smoking -- has these men taking different opinions on what steps should be taken to curb smoking. Huckabee supports a nationwide smoking ban, while Brownback supports control by local communities. Which is better in your opinion?

With the U.S. presidential election coming up next year, candidate hopefuls are throwing their respective weights into many social issues to drum up the attention each sorely needs to win the hearts and minds of voters.

Count John Edwards into the cancer crowd, as the hopeful candidate whose wife announced recently that she did have a recurrence of breast cancer wants to create national networks for those dealing with all cancers.

Edwards stated that his wife's battle with the second-largest killer in the U.S. has shown him that fighting cancer should be one of his top priorities. Edward's latest on the national strategy for cancer survivorship he proposes can be read about here.

Individuals with advanced-stage laryngeal cancer at diagnosis were more likely to be uninsured or covered by Medicaid than those with private insurance, according to a study led by Amy Y. Chen, M.D., M.P.H. of Emory and the American Cancer Society, Atlanta.

Laryngeal (voice box) cancer is diagnosed in nearly 10,000 men and women in the U.S. each year. Stage at diagnosis influence prognosis and treatment greatly.

Patients who were diagnosed with advanced-stage laryngeal cancer were also more likely to be female, black, between the ages of 18 and 56 and live in ZIP codes with low proportions of high school graduates and low median incomes.

Lance Armstrong says his immediate goal in launching the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum is to make sure whatever candidates we have now and then the two who ultimately fight for the presidency discuss the number one killer in this country. Just like they'd talk about war and terror and taxes, Armstrong says they should address the issue of cancer.

Armstrong has an army people behind him -- 65 million to be exact -- who say they care about this topic. Take a small percentage of those people, he says, and you've got a movement.

The movement begins on Monday, August 27 when the Democratic presidential candidates answer the cancer question from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM on MSNBC. On Tuesday, August 28, Republican candidates will tackle the cancer question at the same time, in the same place.

White House press secretary Tony Snow says his resignation has nothing to do with cancer and everything to do with money. According to sources from the Bush administration, he will step down from his position. Snow, however, is not making an announcement at this time.

"I'm not going to be able to go the distance, but that's primarily for financial reasons." Snow said. "I've told people when my money runs out, then I've got to go."

Last week, The New York Times editorial page asked if the United States really has the best healthcare system in the world. The editors agree that at the top medical centers that is probably true, while addressing the fact that the U.S. healthcare system lags behind according to many studies, including a recent one by the Commonwealth Fund.

On the cancer front, according to the report, the U.S. has done a good job on reducing smoking when compared to other countries, but we still have a lot of work to do regarding obesity . We do rank high on preventative care, like Pap screens and mammograms.

When compared to Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, the U.S. had the best survival rate for breast cancer, second best for cervical cancer and childhood leukemia and almost-worst for colorectal cancer.

The editorial page concludes that we have to get past this idea that we have "the best health care system in the world" if we are to fix its deficits including reducing the number of uninsured. For the full editorial, please see here.

"Blessings arrive in unexpected packages -- in my case, cancer," writes White House Press Secretary Tony Snow in the July issue of Christianity Today.

Snow, who discovered in March that his colon cancer had recurred and spread to his liver, said his life-threatening setback is also life-affirming. It has strengthened his faith and brought clarity to his life.

"We don't know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator," says the 51-year-old.

A new government report on cancer addresses not only the tobacco industry, but also the food industry and the federal government. The report calls on the federal government to "cease being a purveyor of unhealthy foods."

According to the report, federal, state and local policies have made healthful food more expensive and less available while cutting back on physical education classes in schools.

The report recommends encouraging doctors and insurance companies to offer more programs regarding nutrition, smoking cessation and exercise. The report also urged Congress to authorize the FDA to regulate tobacco and to increase the cigarette tax. President Bush currently opposes such an increase in the cigarette tax.

George Mitchell, the man leading an independent investigation of steroid use among Major League Baseball players -- he's also a former U.S. Senate Majority Leader -- has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"The cancer is small, low grade and localized, and can be effectively treated and cured,'' says Mitchell's physician, The prognosis is very good for Mitchell, a Democrat from Maine.

Mitchell, 73, said in a statement that he expects his treatment will not interfere with his investigation that began in March 2006 when he was appointed by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to interview hundreds of people and review thousands of documents.

Last Tuesday, a U.S. appeals court ruled that terminally ill patients do not have a constitutional right to experimental drugs that are not approved by the FDA. Advocacy groups were seeking access to unapproved medicines that have cleared early safety tests. Early safety tests usually include 20 to 80 people.

"The FDA's policy of limiting access to investigational drugs is rationally related to the legitimate state interest of protecting patients, including the terminally ill, from potentially unsafe drugs with unknown therapeutic effects," Judge Thomas Griffith wrote in Tuesday's majority opinion.

The Abigail Alliance, one of the groups fighting for such access, was founded by Frank Burroughs to advocate for the right of the terminally ill to access experimental drugs that have cleared early safety tests.