'World News Tonight' Launches 'Quit to Live: Fighting Lung Cancer'

Oct. 27, 2005 — -- This November, ABC News' "World News Tonight" will launch "Quit to Live: Fighting Lung Cancer," a series of reports on smoking cessation and lung cancer prevention.

Throughout the month, "World News Tonight" will devote unprecedented attention to reports on smoking cessation, public health policy surrounding smoking and tobacco, and the latest medical advances on lung cancer treatment and prevention. "World News Tonight" producers will embed with several people trying to quit smoking during the month of November and periodically report on the highs and lows of their challenge.

"World News Tonight" is partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute and the North American Quitline Consortium to provide resources to help people quit smoking. "World News Tonight" will direct viewers to the national network of quitlines, 1-800-QUIT-NOW, which automatically connects callers to their state-based quitlines, and to the Web site www.smokefree.gov for additional resources on cessation and lung cancer, through www.wnt.abcnews.com.

"Smoking and lung cancer are grave issues that all of us at 'World News Tonight' have now experienced firsthand," said Jon Banner, executive producer of World News Tonight. "Peter Jennings was at the forefront of reporting on the dangers of smoking and tobacco throughout his career, and we are committed to carrying on his work. Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in this country, but it doesn't receive nearly the attention that other cancers do. We are dedicating November to this subject, but these issues will continue to be our priority for a long time to come."

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ABCNEWS.com will devote a portion of its Web site to "Quit to Live: Fighting Lung Cancer." The section will include links to smoking cessation resources; and a "Quitters Blog" documenting peoples' attempts to quit smoking -- as well as "World News Tonight's" reporting on smoking and lung cancer.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and November 17th is the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout. More than 51 million Americans smoke cigarettes, and each year 160,000 people in the United States die from lung cancer. The primary cause of lung cancer is tobacco smoke.