Good News About Lung Cancer: More Treatments, Fewer Smokers, Better Outcomes
Lung cancer occurs when cells within the lung mutate, transition into tumors, and experience rapid growth. These tumors can destroy healthy tissue within the lung, and they may also spread to other parts of the body. Historically, the main cause of lung tumors has been smoking.
Lung cancer is one of the top three most common cancers in men and women and has the highest rate of cancer-related deaths. Yet it’s also the subject of some of the most exciting advances in medical research. Due to new targeted therapies and immunotherapies, more people are living longer and living better after a lung cancer diagnosis.
Over the past thirty years, both the incidence and mortality rates of this type of cancer have started to decline. Globally, the mortality rate from it decreased by nearly 8% from 1990 to 2019. Even so, about 1.8 million people around the world die each year of the disease. As research leads to new drug approvals—and as more people learn to prevent lung cancer and to detect it early—rates are expected to decline further.
Risk Factors for Lung Cancer
Smoking is the biggest risk factor for lung cancer, with about 90% of diagnoses related to tobacco use. However, as smoking rates have declined, so have lung cancer rates. In 2000, about one of three adults around the world used tobacco; in 2022, that lowered to one in five, according to the World Health Organization.
Someone can get lung cancer without ever having smoked. Other risk factors for it include exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke, air pollution, asbestos, and radon.
Advances in Research
Lung cancer has seen among the fastest rate of research breakthroughs, especially over the past 10 years. The two major areas of advancements that contribute to patients’ health and quality of life are targeted therapies and immunotherapy.
Targeted Therapies: Cancer Drugs Get Specific
Targeted therapies have offered a major advancement in personalized treatments and improved outcomes. Oncologists can perform biomarker testing on a lung tumor to learn as much about the tumor’s DNA as possible. The goal is to match a patient with medicines that will most effectively treat their specific tumor. Sometimes, targeted therapies can be given with just a pill, meaning fewer side effects and more convenient treatments for patients.
Immunotherapy: Strengthening the Immune System Against Cancer
Immunotherapy teaches the body’s immune system to recognize and to fight cancer cells. Immunotherapy is administered through an IV, and it can be given on its own or with other treatments, such as surgery or chemotherapy. Like with targeted therapy, immunotherapy often has less severe side effects than traditional forms of cancer treatments.
Lung Cancer Screening
Because symptoms don’t often appear in early-stage lung cancer, most people aren’t aware they have it until it’s advanced to stage III or IV. For that reason, certain people who have an increased risk are encouraged to get an annual screening with low-dose computed tomography.
Countries vary in their recommendations for who should be screened for lung cancer. In Canada, the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care recommends screening for people who:
• Are between 55 and 74 years old
• Have a 30 pack-year smoking history (which could mean smoking one pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years or smoking two packs a day for 15 years)
• Currently smoke or quit less than 15 years ago
Patients who meet these criteria should discuss lung cancer screening with their healthcare provider. The screening, which occurs with a low-dose CT scan, is painless and takes less than a minute. Diagnosing it at an earlier stage increases the chance of it being cured.
With earlier detection and continued advances in therapies and treatments, individuals who are diagnosed with lung cancer are living longer – giving them more time with their loved ones and hope that, perhaps, the next advancement will offer a cure.