November Is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

November is lung cancer awareness month, and while lung cancer may not be top of mind for everyone, there are some reasons why it’s important to be well-informed about lung cancer. 

It’s estimated that in 2025, 226,650 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer.¹ This accounts for 11.1% of all cancer diagnoses this year.¹ Although 10 or 11% may not sound like the highest percentage, the projected figures put lung cancer in third place for the number of cases diagnosed, behind only breast cancer and prostate cancer.¹ It is also projected that 124,730 people will die of lung cancer this year, which makes up a projected 20% of all cancer deaths.¹  Lung cancer continues to be the #1 cancer killer, as much as breast, ovarian and uterine cancers combined. It’s notable that among the top five most prevalent types of cancer as listed by the National Cancer Institute, lung cancer has the highest number of estimated deaths. This may be because most lung cancers are symptom-free until they have already spread beyond the lungs.²   The average age of diagnosis may also be a contributing factor, as lung cancer or cancer in the bronchi is usually diagnosed between ages 65 and 74.¹ The five-year relative survival rate for lung cancer currently is around 28%.¹

The low survival rate among lung cancer patients is not a new development. Lung cancer has led cancer-related deaths among men since the start of the 1950’s, while it became the leading cause of cancer death among women in the late 1980’s, according to the American Lung Association.³ To this day, lung cancer is still more prevalent among men, with Black men being the most affected.¹  

However, lung cancer rates are rising alarmingly among women, particularly those who have never smoked. Studies indicate that approximately 20% of women diagnosed with lung cancer are lifetime non-smokers, a trend that is especially concerning in younger demographics. This rise is driven by a complex interplay of factors beyond tobacco, including environmental hazards like radon gas and air pollution, as well as genetic predispositions. Biological factors also play a significant role; researchers are investigating hormonal influences, specifically how estrogen may fuel tumor growth. Globally, non-smoking lung cancer is far more prevalent in women than men, with distinct variations in incidence rates across different ethnic groups, family history and biology.² 

If you are concerned about lung cancer for yourself or for a loved one, common first symptoms include a cough that will not go away, coughing up blood, chest pain that gets worse with coughing, taking a deep breath or laughing, a hoarse voice and suddenly losing appetite or weight without trying. ²

For more information on lung cancer resources, the following may be useful to you:  

How We Can Help You | Lung Cancer Research Foundation

Lung Cancer Right Care Center: Overview and More

Sources: 

1. Lung and Bronchus Cancer — Cancer Stat Facts | National Cancer Institute

2. Lung Cancer Fact Sheet for Patients and Caregivers | American Cancer Society

3. Lung Cancer Trends Brief | American Lung Association

Spotlight on surgery as a treatment for lung cancer

Many people are familiar with surgery to replace a knee, or remove an appendix, but people aren’t as familiar with lung cancer surgeries. Here, we’ll explore when lung cancer surgery is used, the different types of lung cancer surgery, and what the experience can be like as a patient. 

Lung cancer is most often treated with surgery when it is detected early – at stage 3A or earlier. If the cancer is found before stage 2, typically, local options such as surgery will be the first and most effective option. At stage 2, surgery will still be the primary treatment but will likely be followed by other treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy. After stage 3A, lung cancer would not be treated with surgery.¹

A surgeon who specializes in procedures for lung cancer patients is called a thoracic surgeon. Dr. Jessica Donnington, a thoracic surgeon in Chicago, has discussed how doctors decide what type of surgery a patient needs. “We define our surgeries for early-stage disease in two ways. One, how much lung we take and two how we get through the chest wall,” Dr. Donnington explained.²

She went on to address surgery for early stages of the disease, saying “the standard answer for patients with stage 1 or stage 2 disease is that we do a lobectomy. That’s [removing] one third of the lung on the right or half the lung on the left.”

Doctors usually prefer to take as little lung tissue as possible, and Dr. Donnington explained that, “for patients with very small tumors, less than two centimeters, that sometimes something called a segment or segmentectomy works, and that is a portion of [the] lobe.”²

However, when doctors remove tumors, they have to balance wanting to be minimally invasive with wanting to be thorough and effective. “You have to take all of the lymph nodes and all of the blood vessels that go to that region to ensure you don’t miss any cancer cells, which may have spread,” Dr Donnington said.²

Lung surgeries can involve removing even more tissue at the advanced stages, as Dr. Shanda Blackmon, of Texas explained to Mayo Clinic. “My patients with advanced lung cancer are often surprised to learn that they can have an entire lung removed,” Dr. Blackmon said.³

She went on to add that the recovery times for various lung cancer surgeries vary widely based on how invasive or intensive the surgery is. 

“If you had a small part of your lung removed, you might be able to stay overnight in the hospital and go home the next day,” says Dr. Blackmon. “However, if you have an entire lung removed, you may need to stay in the hospital for a week or two. If you have a complication, you might need to stay longer.”³

There are primarily two ways thoracic surgeons perform surgery. One is known as a thoracotomy, which is what you might think of as a traditional lung cancer surgery. It involves a surgeon making an incision 8 to 10 inches long, between a patient’s ribs.  

The other way is called minimally invasive surgery. Over the past 20 years, doctors and researchers have developed a minimally invasive technique called video-assisted thoracic surgery, or VATS. This procedure only requires a small incision—usually between 1 to 3 centimeters—and can be done either with traditional instruments or with robotic assistance to remove lung tissue.

In a typical VATS procedure, the surgeon uses long instruments and a tiny camera to operate through the small cuts, watching everything on a 2D screen. With robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS), the setup is a bit different—the surgeon sits at a console and controls robotic arms that offers a high-definition, 3D views and enhanced precision.

Both approaches are safe and effective, and the choice between them often comes down to the surgeon’s training and preference. So far, studies show that VATS and RATS provide similar outcomes when treating early-stage lung cancer. Generally, VATS and RATS surgeries have been described as, “it hurts less, the recovery is faster, and people get back to their normal self so much better.”² According to Dr Blackmon, the less invasive nature of VATS procedures really does make a difference. “I’m a big proponent of minimally invasive surgery.”³

Dr. Thomas Bauer at Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey provided a view of how robotic assisted surgery works. As he explained, “the surgeon sits at the console next to the patient in the operating room and controls the instruments, including a 3D high-definition camera. The instruments have wrists which can move the same way that my hand moves.”  He added, “The camera and instruments were placed through small incisions between the ribs. The surgeon removes the lung tissue through one of the small incisions.”⁴

What is the experience like for patients?

For a traditional lung cancer thoracotomy, the hospital stay is between 5-7 days.  One lung cancer patient, Jennifer Toth, spoke candidly about recovering from her lung cancer surgery to remove her entire lung. “The first few days… can be scary and challenging and affect your mind, body, and spirit,” she said.  She added that there were also relatively minor things, like unexpected pain in her shoulder and arm when she woke up, because her left arm was placed above her head for most of the nine-hour procedure.  She also described loss of appetite and constipation from the pain medication.⁵

Perhaps surprisingly, Toth described her chest tubes as more painful than some of the incisions.⁵ Chest tubes are in place for drainage after a thoracotomy for 1 to 5 days, depending on the extent of the surgery. Additional concerns include scarring from the incisions and may deal with fatigue and infection as well.⁶

According to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America, it’s common for patients to experience pain in their chest area. Many patients also experience temporary breathing issues due to swelling. To help resolve this issue, patients are given a small breathing device after surgery called an incentive spirometer. It is a handheld device used to help patients take slow, deep breaths to keep their lungs healthy and prevent complications like pneumonia or atelectasis.  

Along with physical symptoms, there can be an emotional toll, as well. 

“Far too often, I see patients who have gone through surgery, and they’re recovering, but they still have moments when they feel very alone,” said Dr. Blackmon. She recommended support groups and ongoing medical monitoring.³

The five-year period after lung cancer surgery is critically important. Surgical resection remains the standard treatment for early-stage lung cancer. However, according to the National Library of Medicine, the recurrence rate after surgery is unacceptably high, ranging from 30% to 50%. Key risk factors identified include surgical procedure, TNM staging, lymph node involvement, body composition, and tumor characteristics. Despite extensive efforts, accurately predicting the likelihood and timing of recurrence remains a significant challenge.⁷ However, with early stage, with no sign of spread, the cure rate can be greater than 85%.

Although lung cancer surgery can be challenging, one of Dr. Bauer’s patients, William DiStefano, was encouraged by recent developments in surgery and kept the focus on returning to everyday life. 

“When Dr. Bauer explained how the robotic surgery worked and that I would be a candidate, I felt very at-ease. Within a couple of weeks, I was back doing what I loved (working in his garden) and feeling pretty good,” DiStefano said.⁴

Sources: 

1. Types of Lung Cancer Surgery: What to Expect and How to Lower Your Risk for Complications | U.S. News
2. Thoracic Surgery For Early Stage Lung Cancer | Lung Cancer Foundation of America
3. Lung cancer surgery: Types, recovery and survivorship | Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog
4. Understanding Minimally Invasive Lung Cancer Surgery | American Lung Association
5. Lobectomy: My Story | LungCancer.net
6. Surgery | Lung Cancer Foundation of America
7. Predicting Postoperative Lung Cancer Recurrence and Survival Using Cox Proportional Hazards Regression and Machine Learning | Cancers

More Than a Song: The Science of Music as Medicine

Upstage Lung Cancer is the first cancer charity to exclusively use music and the performing arts to accomplish our mission to promote awareness, advance understanding and remove the social stigma of lung cancer. Through these efforts we invest in innovative and significant early detection lung cancer research. 

Our musicians who provide such expert and enjoyable music for our educational concerts understand the profound power of their art to move an audience. But what if that power could be prescribed? Emerging research confirms what ancient wisdom has long suggested: music is a potent form of medicine, with a significant positive impact on patients facing cancer. 

Recently, researchers looked at patients undergoing radiotherapy, an anti-cancer treatment that uses radiation to destroy cancer cells.  Facing this treatment is frequently anxiety-producing. So, the research asked if using music therapeutically could help reduce some of the psychological difficulties associated with this treatment. This study showed that a music intervention helped reduce patients’ distress undergoing treatment.¹ Using music in this way is considered music medicine.  Music medicine scientists study how certain music-based interventions impact stress, pain, sleep and mood in patients. They also assess how different music affects surgeons’ performances and medical providers’ wellness.¹

But music therapy and music as medicine are far more than a pleasant diversion. They show how the art of music and the science of medicine can work in tandem. Music medicine and music therapy explore how targeted musical interventions can measurably reduce stress, pain and anxiety while improving mood and sleep. This powerful combination of art and science is not a new idea. Did you know that the Chinese character for medicine also incorporates the character for music? In the 20th century, music was found to be instrumental in rehabilitating the minds, bodies and spirits of World War II veterans.²

 The Clinical Evidence: Soothing Anxiety in Cancer Treatment

Today, rigorous studies are validating music’s role in modern healthcare, particularly for the psychological challenges associated with cancer treatment.

A large-scale study of nearly 2,000 lung cancer patients found that integrating music therapy into their treatment plan significantly reduced anxiety and depression, improved sleep, and enhanced overall quality of life. Based on these powerful results, researchers recommend 30-minute music sessions once or twice daily to alleviate emotional distress during treatment.^{2, 3}

This effect is also seen in high-stress diagnostic settings. For cancer patients, the anxiety before a PET scan—often called “scanxiety”—can be overwhelming. One study targeted this specific fear, providing patients with a 30-minute music therapy session before their scan. The results were clear and physiological: patients in the music group, compared to the group that did not receive music medicine, showed significantly lower heart rates, reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol and reported less anxiety.⁴

A Tool for Deeper Connection and Comfort

Beyond stress reduction, music can also be a vital tool in palliative care. Researchers in India focusing on palliative care with advanced lung cancer patients found similar positive effects for music as medicine. Patients reported less anxiety, felt less pain, were in a better mood and had more motivation than patients who did not receive music therapy. The authors noted that the very act of selecting music can open a gateway for patients to discuss complex emotions and end-of-life preferences with caregivers and family, providing comfort when it is needed most.⁵

The research confirms what many patients have discovered on their own: in a journey where so much feels out of control, music offers a way to reclaim a sense of agency. It is a deeply personal and powerful act of self-care. Turning on a favorite song is not a mere distraction; it is a conscious choice to lower the heart rate, calm the mind, and create a personal sanctuary of sound, proving that the tools for healing can be as simple as pressing play.

Sources:

1. The Efficacy of Music Intervention in Patients with Cancer Receiving Radiation Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | Cancers
2.  Music as medicine | Harvard Health Publishing
3.  The effect of music therapy on anxiety, depression, pain and sleep quality of lung cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis | Supportive Care in Cancer
4. Music Therapy and Music Intervention for NSCLC Patients Undergoing PET with Fear of Cancer Recurrence | Integrative Cancer Therapies
5. Harmonising Hope: Impact of Music Therapy on Cancer Pain and Palliative Care | Indian Journal of Palliative Care 

Lung Cancer Awareness: Myths, Facts & the Need for More Research

This blog featuring our very own president and founder Hildy Grossman was written and published by 23andMe. It is part of an ongoing series of posts by 23andMe which highlight the work of the 20+ lung cancer patient advocacy organizations collaborating with them on their recently launched Lung Cancer Genetics Study. Upstage Lung Cancer is excited to be a part of this endeavor.

It’s not as if lung cancer is an obscure disease, and yet facts about lung cancer are not well known.

23andMe wants to spotlight the disease while also highlighting our efforts with our Lung Cancer Genetics Study and the work of more than 20 organizations collaborating with us on this important new research, which aims to identify genetic risk factors that contribute to lung cancer. Ultimately the goal of the study is to improve prevention, detection and treatment for lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. In the US, it accounts for one in five cancer deaths and kills nearly as many people each year as colon, breast, and prostate cancer combined. These staggering statistics underscore the urgent need for greater awareness and more research. 

Dispelling Common Myths About Lung Cancer

Our first post in this series looked at the origins of our Lung Cancer Genetics Study and how the collaboration started. This one focuses on myths and facts about lung cancer, and we are again leaning on the expertise of some of our collaborators. This time, we talked to leaders from the LUNGevity Foundation and Upstage Lung Cancer. They shared some common misconceptions about lung cancer and some facts they wished more people knew.

Myth: Only People Who Smoke Get Lung Cancer

No, it’s not just people with a history of tobacco exposure who get lung cancer.

Among lung cancer survivors and advocates, this pervasive myth about lung cancer being only a disease for people who have smoked is particularly vexing, and it’s not true.

Indeed, cigarette smoking is strongly linked to lung cancer, but as advocates like to say, “anyone with lungs can get lung cancer, but no one deserves it.”

Fact: Many Risk Factors Play a Role in Lung Cancer

“All the warnings about the dangers of tobacco exposure, which are totally legitimate, got people to make this very powerful association — tobacco exposure leads to cancer, but it’s not the only cause. Making this connection, we often ignore other causes,” said Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH, Executive Director of Research for the non-profit LUNGevity Foundation. “It’s hard to see beyond tobacco exposure.”

“Active tobacco exposure is indeed an important risk factor that’s been well-studied. However, other risk factors, such as radon exposure, passive (or secondhand) tobacco exposure, occupational exposures, air pollution, and genetics, all can play a role in lung cancer development. Often, it is a complex mix of many of those factors that contribute to why some people develop lung cancer”, said Upal.

In 2019, nearly 15% of lung cancers were not related to direct tobacco exposure. To put that into perspective, lung cancer in people who never smoked cigarettes, or LCINS, would be ranked in the top ten causes of cancer deaths if ranked separately from tobacco exposure–related lung cancer. LCINS is on the rise, and more research is needed to have an accurate estimate of the true numbers of LCINS today.

“80 to 90% of people with tobacco exposure never get lung cancer, while many people without tobacco exposure get the disease,” said Upal. “It’s incredibly complex. We haven’t unpacked how much a role all these contributing factors play, and that’s why this genetic study is so interesting. It offers a chance to learn more about the nature of the disease and how these factors might interact.”

Lung Cancer Screening and Early Detection

Myth: There’s No Way to Detect Lung Cancer Early

Current US screening recommendations include:

• Ages 50–80
• 20-pack-year cigarette smoking history
• Currently smoking or having quit within the last 15 years

Lung cancer screening exists — but not everyone at risk is eligible. There is a strong association between tobacco use and lung cancer, and current guidelines consider this history for screening eligibility. Current US guidelines recommend screening for people ages 50 to 80 who have a 20-pack-year cigarette smoking history and currently smoke tobacco or have quit within the last 15 years.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of people who are eligible for lung cancer screening don’t receive it. According to the American Lung Association, only 16% of eligible people were screened for lung cancer in 2024. Much work remains to ensure everyone eligible for screening knows about and has access to this life-saving healthcare measure. And additional progress is needed to expand lung cancer screening to include others at high risk, like those who have never smoked.

Fact: Not Everyone at Risk of Lung Cancer is Currently Eligible for Screening 

While lung cancer in people with a smoking history is more common in men, two-thirds of people diagnosed with LCINS are women. Hildy Grossman, who describes herself as a clinical psychologist by day and a jazz singer by night, is one of those women diagnosed with lung cancer who’d smoked cigarettes as a teenager but quit at age twenty.

Hildy was diagnosed in December of 2006 by chance. She’d slipped on the threshold of a narrow stairway, resulting in pain in her wrist. After a series of missed diagnoses, Hildy eventually had an MRI to determine if a pinched nerve in her back was causing the pain. Instead, the MRI showed two spots on her lungs. A biopsy revealed it was lung cancer. Her doctor told her how lucky she’d been that they caught it early, saying, “Somebody up there likes you!” Since her tumor was diagnosed so early (stage 1A), her treatment only required surgery, which she had in January 2007.

“As I came to terms with (the diagnosis), I asked myself, ‘Why me?’ Not ‘why did I get lung cancer,’ but ‘why was I able to find it so early and survive,’” Hildy said. The question prompted her to start Upstage Lung Cancer, an organization using music and the performing arts to raise awareness and support lung cancer research. Hildy is both the founder and president of the board. 

The Need for Expanded Screening Criteria

While current lung cancer screening guidelines have saved many lives by detecting cancer early, they also miss many others who may be at risk but who never smoked, or like Hildy, who quit cigarette smoking many years earlier. The problem is that there aren’t yet criteria outside of tobacco use for identifying those who are at the highest risk and could benefit most from screening. Without early detection, many lung cancers are not diagnosed before symptoms appear, such as a persistent cough or coughing up blood. And by the time symptoms occur, it’s likely the cancer has spread and will be harder to treat. In contrast, people diagnosed with cancer in its earlier stages tend to live longer or can even be cured. Lingering misconceptions about who is at risk leave many people vulnerable.

“That’s why early detection research (part of the Lung Cancer Genetics Study) is so important,” Hildy said.

Beyond One Disease

Myth: All Lung Cancer is the Same

There are two main types of lung cancer — non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. 80 to 85% of lung cancer cases are non-small cell, and 10 to 15% are small cell. Then, there are numerous subtypes within those types of lung cancer, said Upal.

“And the biology is different, which has implications for how the lung cancer is treated,” said Upal.

Fact: Biomarker Testing Can Identify Lung Cancer Subtypes and Guide Treatment

Some lung cancer subtypes are defined by specific changes in the cancer cells, known as oncogenic driver mutations. These mutations speed up cancer growth. Some of these subtypes can be identified through biomarker testing, which looks for genetic changes in specific genes like EGFR, ALK, RET, or HER2. Discovering whether a tumor has one of these mutations — a biomarker — can help doctors choose the best treatment options, including targeted therapies for specific mutations.

However, only some people who might benefit from biomarker testing receive it. For example, one study examined rates of biomarker testing in more than 17,000 people who were diagnosed with advanced non-small cell lung cancer between 2015 and 2021. This study found that while testing rates increased over time, nearly one-third of people did not receive comprehensive biomarker testing by 2020. Barriers to biomarker testing are complex and include issues like cost, time, tumor sample quality, and lack of awareness of the value of testing. These challenges emphasize the importance of insurance coverage for biomarker testing and approved targeted therapies, increased education of healthcare providers, and self-advocacy by patients and caregivers.

Continuing the Conversation on Lung Cancer Awareness

Misconceptions like the ones addressed here represent just some of the many challenges faced by people diagnosed with lung cancer. As part of our lung cancer blog series, we will continue to amplify the voices of patient advocates and raise awareness of these and other little-known facts about the disease.  Visit the Lung Cancer Genetics Study page to learn more about the 23andMe study, our collaborators, and eligibility criteria.

Why Joining Our Efforts Is More Important Than Ever

The recent and ongoing cuts to funding for medical research will have lasting blows to scientists in universities, hospitals, and research centers. These cuts will jeopardize the diagnosis, treatment, and survival for all cancer patients. Lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer. With substantial cuts to scientific research, patients are at an even greater risk. 

How do federal funding cuts impact medical research?

Some of the most obvious barriers to medical research have come in the form of budget cuts. In mid-March, as part of Congressional negotiations to pass a six-month continuing resolution for fiscal year 2025, Congress cut government funding for Congressional Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) by 57%, from $1.5 billion to $650 million¹. The CDMRP was founded by Congress in 1992 to benefit both the American public and the military through biomedical research. The organization was intended to fill funding gaps for research organizations ². The program funds lung cancer research, in addition to many other diseases. 

On February 7, 2025, the Trump administration announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) would cut the indirect cost payment rate to universities, research institutes, and hospitals from 30% to 15%, capping indirect cost payments at 15% of a grant’s value³. These indirect funds are provided to cover operational expenses, such as renting space, hiring administrative staff, purchasing office supplies, or hiring specialists like lawyers or bookkeepers⁴. These costs are essential for universities to maintain research infrastructure and ensure compliance with regulations, contributing to the overall success of research endeavors. 

A third barrier occurred with the Trump administration appearing to have barred NIH from publishing grant meeting notices in the Federal Register. When NIH funds a grant, it has a two-step process, which includes a preliminary review and a final review and approval. NIH is not allowed to post notices that these final meetings are occurring, which blocks the grants from being approved ⁵.

So, what’s the harm?

The NIH is often acknowledged as the world’s largest public funder of medical research, so the funding cuts and stalled grants will have far-ranging implications. Toby Smith, Senior Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy at the Association of American Universities, outlined for NPR what funding cuts will mean. Fewer Ph.D. students will be accepted, thus there will be fewer new researchers to fill research jobs. The American Council on Education and the Association of American Universities released a joint statement, saying in part that, “the loss of this American workforce pipeline would be a blow to the U.S. economy, to American science and innovation, to patients and their families, and to our nation’s position in the world as a leader in medical research⁶.”

As universities are being asked to shoulder more of the indirect costs of research, they may have to draw more from their endowments than in the past. But the total endowment draw is often limited, so universities may need to decide how to reallocate funding internally. Unfortunately, many universities will require hiring freezes while they determine how to redistribute their funding. 

With fewer research opportunities available in the United States, many scientists are concerned that students who are interested in science will seek training abroad and contribute to scientific research efforts in other countries. 

How will research cuts impact lung cancer research specifically?

It’s still too early to tell exactly how funding cuts will impact lung cancer research specifically. Groups who work to advocate for a cure, like GO2 for Lung Cancer and ALK Positive, have called for funding to be restored. Speaking to a local news station about lung cancer vaccines that are currently in clinical trials, Dr. Stephen Liu from Georgetown University’s Cancer Center acknowledged the uncertainty, but also said he thinks the funding cuts may have more of an impact on new research than research that is already at the clinical phase⁷. “We don’t really know exactly what the future holds, but I would say that trials that are further along, that are already underway, are not likely to stop,” Liu said. “The investment there is already paid, and those will probably be seen to fruition.” However, the more funding that is cut, the more impact on current clinical trials as we go forward.

What can you do?

When faced with news about the federal funding shortage other sources become necessary. While biotechnology investors could be an important source of replacement funding, the industry’s budget can’t compete with the multibillion-dollar budget that NIH had previously invested. Additionally, biotechnology companies tend to focus on scientific products with practical short-term applications, which leaves emerging scientific research unfunded⁸. Philanthropy, therefore, becomes more important than ever. It won’t be a cure, but it may help lifesaving projects continue.

It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of federal policy decisions. People taking action can make a difference. One way to push back involves legal action. Immediately after the current administration announced the funding cuts at the National Institutes of Health, 22 states sued to stop the funding cuts, which temporarily blocked them. Since restrictions on medical research can impact all of us, your voice can help to make a difference in your community and to your representatives.

Join our efforts to make a difference in early diagnosis of lung cancer by contributing to Upstage Lung Cancer and other lung cancer related organizations. If you also want to contribute through political advocacy, ALK Positive has released a template to reach out to your legislators. The template is written from the perspective of a lung cancer patient with a particular gene mutation but could easily be adapted if someone you know, or love has been impacted by lung cancer. The only way to lose is by doing nothing.

Sources:

1. Fears grow about plan to cut Pentagon medical research fund | Roll Call

2. About Us | Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs

3. NIH slashes overhead payments for research, sparking outrage and lawsuit  | Science

4. Understanding Indirect Costs: A Brief Overview | Grant Professionals Association

5. Trump administration loophole snags US research grants from Lyme to lung disease | Reuters

6. Universities freeze hiring over federal funding concerns | NPR

7. Amid funding concerns, promising lung cancer vaccines could be available in next few years | WTOP

8. As research funding dries up for US science, few alternatives appear | Chemical and Engineering News

Beyond the Diagnosis: The Daily Reality of Living with Lung Cancer

Lung cancer statistics and treatment plans paint a clinical picture, but they often overlook the human story. What does it truly mean to navigate daily life with this disease? Beyond the medical charts and mortality rates, a vital question emerges: how does lung cancer reshape the everyday experiences of those it affects?

When doctors ask patients about their quality of life, they ask about how well patients can function physically, psychologically, cognitively, socially, and in their life roles (i.e. as family members or friends). Doctors also want to know how severe the patients’ symptoms are, if they’re experiencing financial burdens and how they’d say they’re doing overall^1,2,4. 

For years, there was little research on quality of life specifically for lung cancer², but fortunately, there’s been more research recently. Although the scale to assess quality of life is subjective, it’s often used along with more objective medical tests, and doctors have found that quality of life helps predict survival¹. Assessing a person’s quality of life is an important part of a multifaceted health evaluation that goes beyond just the clinical evaluation of symptoms. 

Symptoms of lung cancer can include fatigue, loss of appetite, cough, shortness of breath, pain, and coughing up blood¹. Living with any, or all these symptoms is significant, and can affect quality of life psychologically, socially and cognitively. The physical impact of these symptoms is most obvious, as they make it difficult to walk and carry things and have a ripple effect on a patient’s wellbeing. For example, fatigue, shortness of breath, pain and coughing also have a profound emotional and cognitive impact, especially when these symptoms create a lack of sleep. Although it may not seem as severe as the other symptoms, patients have reported that fatigue was the most limiting symptom for them¹. Because there can be side effects to deal with when undergoing lung cancer treatments, it’s important for patients to be prepared and assisted in managing these issues, to maximize quality of life. 

Demographic factors, such as gender, age, marital status and employment status can also impact quality of life³:

• Women were twice as likely to rate their quality of life as “poor” than “good”, with men pretty evenly split between evaluating their quality of life as “good” versus “poor.”  
• People under 52 years old were more likely to report a good quality of life despite treatment, and people over 59 were more likely to report poor quality of life. 
• Patients with less spousal support (i.e. divorced, unmarried) were more likely to report poor quality of life. 
• Patients employed full-time were more likely to report good quality of life, patients employed part-time were less likely to rate their quality of life as “good”, and unemployed patients were about five times more likely to rate their quality of life as “poor” than “good”⁴. 

When doctors recommend lung cancer surgery, they consider not only if it will prolong a patient’s life, but also its impact on quality of life. Immediately after surgery, 81% of patients report poor quality of life overall. Although the statistics about surgery show that most patients can return to similar levels of functioning in 3 to 6 months, some patients will continue to report low quality of life for longer. In some cases, self-perception may not match the medical reality. Perhaps unsurprisingly, patients who were already struggling to function and experiencing serious symptoms before surgery will report lower quality of life after surgery⁴. Surgeons may remove just the tumor and the tissue around it, remove a section (or lobe) of a lung, or remove an entire lung. Patients that had more tissue removed reported lower quality of life. As a result, surgeons have moved toward less invasive and video-assisted surgical procedures. Newer procedures can often be done with smaller incisions than traditional, more comprehensive surgery. The less-invasive procedures led people to score more highly on both physical and social/role-based parts of the quality-of-life assessment⁵.

When patients were diagnosed in earlier stages and are no longer in active treatment, they may still have some level of vigilance to make sure the cancer doesn’t come back, even when there are no longer major symptoms^1,2,6. Health uncertainty comes with great stress. Hildy Grossman, president and founder of Upstage Lung Cancer, reported that even though her lung cancer was diagnosed at Stage 1, she remembers asking herself if she should buy a new pair of blue jeans for fear she may not be around the next year. She said, “It took a couple of years to lessen the worry about survival, although it never goes away completely.”

It’s challenging to simply go about life as though the disease never happened.  When some of the symptoms of the disease are present, patients may see their relationships change as caregivers have ongoing responsibilities. One study attempted to ease the transition into the post-treatment period by developing a virtual program that offered patients cognitive behavioral therapy. The pilot program was generally well received by patients and continued to evolve with patients’ suggestions for improvement. Researchers want to expand this program on a larger scale⁶.

Finally, palliative care is an area of medicine focusing on preventing and treating side effects and ongoing symptoms. Having access to palliative care may improve quality of life throughout the lung cancer journey. It can be used at any point in the process, including at the point of diagnosis.  It can also be used alongside other treatments aimed at slowing or stopping lung cancer progression. Palliative care is provided by teams of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals in settings such as hospitals, outpatient centers and homes⁷. 

Be sure to listen to our companion Backstage @ Upstage podcast ”Improvise Life” with our guest James Hiter, of Streak for a Cure. 

Sources:  

1. Quality of life of patients with lung cancer | OncoTargets and Therapy
2. Improving Quality of Life for Lung Cancer Survivors | American Cancer Society
3. Quality of Life After Lung Cancer Surgery | Verywell Health
4. Factors influencing the psychology and quality of life in lung cancer patients | Saudi Medical Journal
5. Does video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy for lung cancer provide improved functional outcomes compared with open lobectomy? | European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery
6. Virtual Intervention for Patients with Lung Cancer | Lung Cancer Foundation of America
7. Palliative Care: Improving Quality of Life at All Stages | GO2 for Lung Cancer

KRAS, The Most Common Biomarker For Lung and Other Cancers: What To Know

When patients go to the doctor or hospital for cancer care, they often find information with various abbreviations and acronyms that are common in medical lingo but are a mystery to patients and their families. Upon diagnosis, it is very important to ask your doctor for biomarker testing to see what cancer mutations you have. This can be accomplished by a biopsy of your tumor as well as by a blood test, referred to as a liquid biopsy. KRAS is the most common biomarker of a gene that drives a particular cancer (oncogene). KRAS is the most common biomarker associated with lung (32%), colorectal (40%), pancreatic (85%) and some other cancers. The focus of this blog is on the KRAS biomarker, and we hope to answer some of the questions you might have.

What is KRAS?

Although KRAS is a gene, within the context of cancer it is also considered a biomarker, which is something that can be measured to help diagnose cancer, predict its course, and decide on treatments. Understanding more about a patient’s KRAS mutation can help doctors diagnose a patient’s disease and plan treatment by targeting the biomarker directly. KRAS was identified fifty years ago, and we now know there are different sub-types of KRAS that respond to treatments differently. This is why biomarker testing is so important. In addition, since cancers can also continue to mutate as they grow, which may introduce new biomarkers, it may be necessary to continue biomarker testing over the course of treatment to identify new targets. 

KRAS stands for Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog. It is pronounced Kay-ras. To break down the acronym meaning slightly, an oncogene is a gene that can cause cancer, and when two genes have similar genetic information, they are homologues of each other. 

What does a KRAS mutation do?

The KRAS gene produces a protein that provides important signals to cells related to how quickly they grow, mature and die. Mutated forms can allow cells to grow too much and develop into cancer. KRAS mutations can cause cancer in multiple parts of the body. KRAS mutations also not only cause tumors but also alter the microenvironment around the tumors that they cause, which inflames the area and suppresses the immune system cells that would normally respond to unusual growth in the body.

What are the different types of KRAS mutations? 

There are a few different mutations that can affect the KRAS gene, and the proteins that it produces. The most common KRAS mutations are G12C, G12D, and G12R mutations. Proteins are made up of amino acids, and each of these mutations refer to where and how the amino acids are changed. Different KRAS mutations respond to treatment differently, so it is important for doctors and patients to determine which KRAS mutation the patient has.

How common is KRAS? 

KRAS mutations are very common across multiple cancer types. Doctors and medical professionals see KRAS mutations in about 25% of all solid tumors in the body. About 50% of lung cancer cases with KRAS mutations have the G12C mutation, with the rest having other mutations. Although the incidence of KRAS mutations is somewhat higher in people who smoke, it is not found exclusively in smokers.

Why is KRAS hard to treat?

The first KRAS gene mutation was discovered in 1982, and for almost 40 years, scientists thought that the mutated protein was “undruggable,” because the surface of the protein lacked places for drugs to latch on to. As a result, scientists have had to explore other elements in the tumor microenvironment that KRAS produces as targets for drugs, but these approaches were often imprecise. Finally, researchers found an allosteric site on the mutated proteins that drugs can target. An allosteric site isn’t the active site, but another place where medications could alter the shape of the protein to affect the active site. This allowed them to develop lung cancer drugs that can affect the G12C mutation only.  

How are KRAS cancers treated?

Current standard of care for patients with KRAS positive tumors include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, or a combination depending on the stage of their cancer. KRAS mutations have been difficult to treat because uncontrolled cell growth can enable tumors to evolve resistance to traditional chemotherapy treatments. There are currently two targeted therapies approved for G12C, with active new research in drug development. There are also clinical trials offering new therapeutics. It is important to make sure your doctor is up to date on new developments.  

Be sure to listen to the Backstage @ Upstage podcast on ”Kicking Cancer” with our guest Terri Conneran, founder of KRAS Kickers. 

Sources:

KRAS mutation: from undruggable to druggable in cancer | Nature
What’s new in KRAS mutation research? | MD Anderson Cancer Center
It’s KRAS Biomarker Lung Cancer. What Do I Do Now? | Lung Cancer Foundation of America
What is KRAS Cancer | KRAS Kickers
KRAS and Lung Cancer | American Lung Association
KRAS | Fight Colorectal Cancer

What Are Neuroendocrine Tumors? Why Are They Important?

Neuroendocrine cells specialize in repairing tissues that line important organs, like the lungs. Within the lungs, they produce hormones that regulate air flow and blood flow. Neuroendocrine cells across the body can develop tumors, including the neuroendocrine cells in the lungs. These are known as pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors. Neuroendocrine tumors are classified based on how fast they grow, where they are located in the lungs, and whether or not they release hormones. Neuroendocrine tumors can also grow at very different rates, depending on what type of tumors they are. Some types are very aggressive, and others grow slowly. 

One classification system for neuroendocrine growths measures the tumor, the nodes and metastasis. Doctors measure how large the tumor is, look at the nearby lymph nodes , whether cancer has spread to them or not and whether the tumor has spread (or metastasized) to other parts of the body. Neuroendocrine tumors can also be classified in stages between 1 and 4, based on how many centimeters the tumor measures and whether it has spread to nearby lymph nodes or not. Stages 0, 1, 2 and 3A are considered early-stage cancers, while anything after stage 3A is considered a more advanced stage cancer.    

Symptoms of neuroendocrine tumors include shortness of breath, a cough that won’t go away, a hoarse voice, fatigue, recurring bronchitis or chest infections and chest pain or coughing up blood. Neuroendocrine tumors that release hormones can cause different conditions in the body, each with their own set of symptoms. One, called hypercalcemia, increases the amount of calcium in the blood, which leads to muscle cramps, confusion and can make the heartbeat irregular. Patients with carcinoid tumors sometimes produce too many prostaglandins and too much serotonin, which leads to symptoms similar to asthma, facial flushing or lesions and diarrhea. Neuroendocrine tumors can also lead to acromegaly, or an excess of growth hormone that make the face, hands and feet grow too much. This type of tumor can also cause Cushing’s Syndrome, which causes excessive hair growth, weight gain and darkening skin. 

One major type of neuroendocrine tumors are carcinoid tumors. Like other neuroendocrine tumors, carcinoid tumors are classified in various ways. One classification system describes where the tumors grow, and whether they form near the center of the lungs (central carcinoids) or further away from central air vessels (peripheral carcinoids). Most carcinoid tumors grow slowly and are unlikely to spread beyond the lungs. Some atypical carcinoid tumors are usually found in smokers, and are more likely to spread from the lungs.  Most carcinoid tumors are found in people between the ages of 45 and 55. Doctors diagnose between 2,000 and 4,000 carcinoid tumors each year in the US. They have found that these tumors do not respond as well to new treatments, like immunotherapies or targeted therapy, but that they respond well to surgical intervention and a certain set of medications.  

Small-cell lung cancer tumors are the most common type of neuroendocrine tumors. This type of lung cancer is much more aggressive than carcinoid tumors and is usually not diagnosed until it has already spread beyond the lungs. Doctors refer to the condition as limited stage small-cell lung cancer if it remains in the area of the lung where it first developed, and extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer if it has spread to other parts of the lungs. Although small-cell lung cancer responds well to treatment, it often recurs. Many smokers develop small-cell lung cancer. 

This blog was made possible thanks to our sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim.

Sources:

Neuroendocrine Tumor Stages and Survival Rate | City of Hope

Learn About Lung Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETs) | Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation

8 Common Signs of Neuroendocrine Lung Tumors | Verywell Health

Lung Carcinoid Tumor | Lung Neuroendocrine Tumor | American Cancer Society

If You Have a Lung Carcinoid Tumor | American Cancer Society

Spotlight on Small-Cell Lung Cancer and Other Lung Neuroendocrine Neoplasms | ASCO

New Targets for Existing Drugs May Offer Benefits To Cancer Patients

New approaches to treating lung cancer may already be out there without the medical community knowing it yet, and a process called drug repurposing could be the missing link to such discoveries. 

What is drug repurposing? 

Drug repurposing is using drugs that were originally developed for one condition to treat another disease or condition. Drug repurposing also has several other names, including drug repositioning and drug re-profiling. Drugs that are adapted to treat cancer are sometimes called repurposed non-oncology drugs. As of 2018, 75 drugs had been repurposed to treat diseases or conditions other than the one that they were developed to treat. Some drugs that are repurposed may have the potential to treat multiple diseases or conditions, but have only been tested in one, and some may be found to be more effective when combined with other drugs. 

There are three reasons why scientists and researchers repurpose drugs rather than developing new ones. One has to do with time, one with cost, and one with having knowledge of effectiveness and toxicity of current drugs on the market. According to a study published in Current Oncology in 2023, the average time to develop a new cancer drug is 8.3 years compared to 3 to 4 years to repurpose an existing drug for cancer treatment. Some established drugs can skip a phase I clinical trial, which is a study done in a small group of people to determine whether a medication can be used by humans and the proper dosage for it. (This is not always the case, and sometimes if a drug is used in a different population than the original it will take just as long to test). It is also significantly less expensive to repurpose drugs than to develop new ones. It only costs about $300 million to bring a repurposed drug to market, versus $2 to $3 billion to develop a new one. Also, having knowledge of toxicity of existing drugs allow greater safety going forward. 

Apart from cost and time factors, there are also medical reasons why drug repurposing makes sense. The success rate for developing a new cancer treatment or medication is only about 2%, so it makes sense to explore other uses for drugs that have already been approved for other purposes. 

How do scientists repurpose drugs? 

Be sure to listen to Backstage @ Upstage podcast, “Everything Old Is New Again: Imagine This; Repurposing Existing Drugs for New Uses”, with Jane Wilkinson and Jaime Cheah for a description of exciting innovations in repurposing drugs.

Drugs are usually repurposed in one of three ways: by computational methods, biological methods, and mixed methods. 

When scientists and researchers use the computational method, they collect database information on chemical structures, gene expression, and proteins that would be affected by the drug, or may look into electronic health records of patients who have had experience with the drug. Machine learning approaches help with this type of computational research. Although it isn’t the same as laboratory testing, computational analysis can give doctors and researchers ideas of which drugs may be good candidates for repurposing. The biological method is more experimental than the computational method and involves performing experiments on animals, evaluating the effectiveness of repurposing drugs through clinical trials, looking at how the drug binds to its targets and which targets might be similar enough to be impacted by the drug, or examining the overall function of a group of cells in response to a medication administered to it. Mixed approaches usually start with computational research and later validate or test the results of that research with biological experiments or clinical trials. This makes the development process faster and more effective than biological or computational approaches alone. 

Repurposing drugs to treat lung cancer

This blog post is not intended to be a comprehensive explanation of drug repurposing as it relates to lung cancer but will touch on several recent drug repositioning discoveries that may work to treat lung cancer. 

In July 2024, Science Daily covered a study that explored using a diabetes drug (which has been approved in several countries but is not yet approved in the United States) to treat lung cancer. This drug helps to ensure that non-small-cell lung cancer cells don’t develop resistance to chemotherapy, which extends the usefulness of the treatment. 

Another study in early 2022 looked at the delivery method for drug-repositioning for lung cancer. When patients are given repurposed drugs that typically treat conditions that they may not have, those drugs build up in the liver, kidney and spleen. There are several anti-tumor medications that are usually administered through inhalation; however, those medications also have multiple side effects. One promising development involves loading repurposed drugs onto nanocarriers, tiny particles which can deliver the drugs directly to the lungs. There, smaller particles and larger particles of the medication get deposited in different parts of the lungs, ensuring more even coverage. 

Other research on repurposing drugs for cancer involves beta blockers; using an arthritis medication to block cyclooxygenase or COX enzymes, which allow tumors to more easily metastasize; using cholesterol medication for its tumor suppressing abilities; or using diabetes-related medicine to block the activation of genes that cause cancer. 

Stay tuned for more innovation in repurposing drugs!

Sources:

Drug Repurposing in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma: Old Solutions for New Problems | PMC (nih.gov)

Diabetes drug reduces drug resistance in lung cancer, improving chemotherapy effectiveness | ScienceDaily

Inhalation delivery of repurposed drugs for lung cancer: Approaches, benefits and challenges | ScienceDirect

Drug repositioning in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using gene co-expression and drug–gene interaction networks analysis | Nature Scientific Reports

Current Landscape of Therapeutic Resistance in Lung Cancer and Promising Strategies to Overcome Resistance – PMC (nih.gov)

Review of Drug Repositioning Approaches and Resources | PMC (nih.gov)

Drug repurposing: a promising tool to accelerate the drug discovery process | ScienceDirect
 

What to Expect From Screening to Treatment

We have narratives and expectations for many life events, like getting married or having a child, but there is no widely understood set of expectations for being diagnosed with a disease like lung cancer. This blog post will describe some of the key stages of the journey for anyone who is being screened, has just been diagnosed, or is in treatment for lung cancer, so that you know what to expect. 

What to expect during screening

Not everyone who is screened for lung cancer will have lung cancer. But screening is an important first step in the lung cancer diagnosis process, and many people may not know what to expect. 

The most common method of screening for lung cancer is called a low-dose CT scan, or LDCT, which makes detailed images of internal organs. Although LDCT is very safe, there are some small risks to be aware of in advance. For one thing, LDCT does involve exposure to radiation, although it is a very low amount, comparable to the amount of natural or background radiation most people are exposed to over the course of six months. The radiation levels are slightly higher than those of other routine screenings, like mammograms. As with screening for other forms of cancer, there is also the risk that the test may show a false positive. According to the American Lung Association, 12-14 percent of screening scans yield a false positive, although that rate is decreasing as doctors learn more about who should be screened. Finally, there is a risk of incidental discoveries, in which the scan finds something in the scanned area that is not lung cancer, but that also requires medical treatment. 

Before the scan, it is a good idea to call the insurance company to make sure the scan is covered. On the day of the scan, there is usually very little preparation required, but you should let your doctor know if you are sick. When it comes time for the scan, you will have to remove any metal you are wearing. You may or may not need to change into a hospital gown. The scan itself will take less than a minute. You may need to hold your breath. 

Depending on what the scan finds, you may need more tests after the initial one, like a PET scan or biopsy. 

Emotions upon diagnosis

When the doctor recommends a lung cancer screening, many people may focus on the physical or logistical things that they need to do, but it is also important to consider the emotional aspect of receiving a lung cancer diagnosis (if there is one). When people are diagnosed, it is common to feel a wide range of emotions and reactions, including shock, angry, afraid, worried, anxious, depressed, guilty or lonely and feeling overwhelmed. In the face of these emotions, it may be helpful to learn more about lung cancer through research or asking questions. There are also many medical professionals who are there to support you, so you don’t have to weather the emotions alone. Finding a patient advocate who has experienced the process before may be useful in managing both the practical and emotional sides of a lung cancer diagnosis. 

Self-reflection can also be a valuable tool in managing the varied emotions that come with a lung cancer diagnosis. If you are diagnosed with lung cancer, you should consider what you most need at that moment and what you want to tell others. 

What to expect from surgery

For many people who are screened and catch lung cancer in an early stage, surgery may be the first step of treatment. Here are some things to expect before and during surgery. 

Before surgery you will need to have tests to see how well your lungs, heart and other organs are functioning, to make sure that they are healthy enough for surgery. You may need to walk a mile or do other physical activity every day to reduce the risk of getting sick after the procedure. If you smoke you will have to stop. Try to avoid getting sick with respiratory illnesses before the surgery. Immediately before surgery you may need to fast and take certain medications. 

There are four types of lung cancer surgery, and they each involve removing a different amount of the lung. Our lungs are divided into lobes, with the left lung having two lobes and the right lung having three. The lobes are also further divided into sections and wedges. In a wedge resection, surgeons take out just the tumor in the lung and some of the tissue around it. In a segmentectomy, they remove a segment. If surgeons remove a lobe, it is called a lobectomy. In rare cases surgeons can remove a whole lung. During lung cancer surgery, surgeons will also remove dime-sized lymph nodes near where they do the surgery to test for cancer. 

Lung cancer surgery is performed in two ways. In the older approach, doctors make a larger incision between your ribs to access your lungs. A newer approach is video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (or VATS), in which surgeons make smaller incisions and insert a small camera, which they use to help them complete the procedure. 

What to expect when recovering after surgery

After the surgery, you will likely be in the hospital for two to seven days, assuming there are no major complications. Hospital staff will encourage you to move as soon as possible. You may have a breathing tube. The length of your hospital stay depends on which type of surgery you had and whether there are complications. In general, patients who have VATS procedures recover more quickly. If you have an entire lung removed, you may need to stay in the hospital for up to two weeks. 

When you are discharged from the hospital, you may still need a breathing tube as you recover and it may take a few weeks to a few months to return to normal. You may not be able to lift more than 10 pounds for a few weeks after the surgery. As a result, you may need help with everyday tasks like getting groceries. It may also be difficult to sleep for more than 3 to 4 hours, due to the pain, although this will get better over time. Some people also find that the incision site is sore or tight for a few weeks or months. 

Emotional recovery after cancer treatment 

Even if you successfully treat your lung cancer and go into remission or are declared cancer-free, you may still deal with the emotional effects of cancer treatment. With the end of treatment, you may be ready to return to a more normal life. But if you’ve built strong connections with your care team, you may also feel anxious about leaving them behind. 

When you finish treatment, you may be offered a cancer survivorship plan, which is a visit that includes a summary of your treatment and the likely side effects as well as a chance to discuss how you are feeling emotionally. The healthcare professional who does the visit may also be a good resource to stay in touch with going forward. 

Although people may expect to feel positively when they finish cancer care, cancer survivors may still deal with negative emotions in the aftermath of treatment. These include grieving or feeling angry about the time you had to spend in treatment or plans that you missed because of treatment, body insecurities due to scarring and physical changes because of surgery, fear and anxiety about cancer returning, stress, sadness or worry about finances, or a feeling of loneliness, as if no one can understand what you are going through. Cancer survivor groups may help to discuss these feelings and feel less alone. 

Sources

What to Expect from a Lung Cancer Screening | American Lung Association

Lung Cancer Surgery: Types and What to Expect | U.S. News (usnews.com)

Lung cancer surgery: Types, recovery and survivorship | Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center

How Long Does it Take to Recover from Lung Cancer Surgery? | healthline.com

Coping With Emotions From A Lung Cancer Diagnosis | Lung Cancer Research Foundation

Emotional recovery after cancer | Mayo Clinic Health System