Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Dr. Tedd Mitchell, president of Cooper Clinic, discusses a paper presented at the 2007 American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology meeting, which found that quality of life has a significant impact on lung cancer survival rates.

The study looked at the overall health of the patients, their mobility, emotional stability, and both social and financial support to predict mortality. The study's findings include:

Patients who received the necessary emotional and physical support had better survival rates than those who didn't.

Lung cancer patients with a below average quality of life before their treatment, in poor health, or those with inadequate support networks had nearly 70 percent higher death rates than patients with stronger support networks.