Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women
in the United States. Our research program has played a role in many of the prevention, screening, and treatment advances that save lives from lung cancer today. And, we continue to fund research to help save even more lives in the future.
Over the past 20 years, there have been exciting improvements in survival after a diagnosis of lung cancer. These are due to advances in the understanding of tumor biology, the development of targeted treatment, and the introduction of screening. However, we've known about the link between smoking and lung cancer for even longer, and smoking is still responsible for most deaths from lung cancer.
We study factors in the United States that predict what leads adults and adolescents to start and stop using any one of the many conventional or novel tobacco products. We track the use of cigarettes, cigars, and snuff along with electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), hookahs, and nicotine pouches. We also evaluate the value of tobacco control laws and rules—how effective they are in reducing the use of tobacco products in the US."
If you smoke and have been diagnosed with cancer in the last 24 months, you may be eligible to participate in a research study that will test a smartphone app to help you quit smoking.
The new lung cancer screening guideline, published in the ACS flagship journal, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, recommends that primary care or specialty care providers refer 50 to 80-year-olds for yearly screening with LDCT if they currently smoke or used to smoke, have a 20-pack-year or more smoking history, and are in reasonably good health, without any symptoms of lung cancer.
How does the new guideline differ from the previously published guideline?
The American Cancer Society funds scientists who conduct research about cancer at medical schools, universities, research institutes, and hospitals throughout the United States. We use a rigorous and independent peer review process to select the most innovative research projects proposals to fund.
Stats on the left are as of July 15, 2024.
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