World Lung Cancer Day: Advancing Research for a Cancer That Demands Greater Progress

Gateway CR — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 21:02:15 GMT

Every year on August 1, World Lung Cancer Day brings attention to a disease that continues to affect millions of patients and families worldwide.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death globally. Yet progress in screening, treatment and research is creating new possibilities for patients. At Gateway for Cancer Research, we are committed to accelerating that progress by funding early-phase clinical trials that explore promising new approaches and address challenges patients face today.

Understanding Lung Cancer

Lung cancer develops when abnormal cells in the lungs grow uncontrollably. These cells can form tumors, damage healthy tissue and spread to other parts of the body.

There are two main types of lung cancer:

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, accounts for approximately 85% of lung cancer diagnoses. It generally grows and spreads more slowly than small cell lung cancer.

The three primary subtypes are:

Adenocarcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma
Large cell carcinoma

Small Cell Lung Cancer

Small cell lung cancer, or SCLC, is less common but typically grows and spreads more quickly. Because it is often aggressive and diagnosed after it has already spread, patients with extensive-stage disease continue to face limited treatment options.

The Impact of Lung Cancer

In 2026, an estimated 229,410 people in the United States will be diagnosed with lung and bronchus cancer, and approximately 124,990 will die from the disease. Worldwide, nearly 2.5 million people were diagnosed with lung cancer in 2022, and more than 1.8 million died from it.

These numbers underscore the urgent need for better ways to prevent, detect and treat lung cancer. They also tell only part of the story.

Survival has improved significantly over the past several decades. The five-year relative survival rate has risen from approximately 12% in the late 1970s to more than 35% for people diagnosed in recent years. When lung cancer is found before it has spread beyond the lungs, the five-year survival rate is approximately 65.5%, highlighting the importance of screening and early detection.

Smoking remains the leading risk factor for lung cancer. It is associated with approximately 80% of lung cancer deaths in the United States, and people who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times more likely to develop or die from lung cancer than people who do not smoke. However, lung cancer can also affect people who have never smoked. Other risk factors include secondhand smoke, radon, air pollution and certain workplace exposures.

No patient should be defined by a diagnosis or face stigma because of it. Every person affected by lung cancer deserves compassion, effective treatment options and HOPE.

Helping Doctors Identify a Serious Treatment Side Effect Earlier

Immunotherapy has transformed treatment for many patients with non-small cell lung cancer, but it can also cause serious and unpredictable side effects.

Some patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors develop pneumonitis, an inflammation of the lungs that can become severe. Although many patients recover when pneumonitis is recognized and treated early, there are currently no established screening guidelines that allow doctors to predict who is most likely to develop it.

In another Gateway-funded study, researchers are collecting blood samples before and during treatment to look for biomarkers, or measurable biological warning signs, associated with pneumonitis.

The goal is to help doctors:

Recognize pneumonitis sooner
Identify patients who may need closer monitoring
Intervene before the inflammation becomes severe
Make immunotherapy treatment safer for patients

Helping patients with lung cancer live longer

Researching a Personalized Vaccine for Small Cell Lung Cancer

Extensive-stage small cell lung cancer is an aggressive disease with limited treatment options.

A Gateway-funded Phase II clinical trial is studying whether a personalized cancer vaccine can help the immune system better recognize and target each patient’s cancer.

Patients first receive the standard-of-care combination of chemotherapy and durvalumab, a type of immunotherapy. While they are receiving this treatment, researchers use cells from the patient’s own cancer cells to develop a vaccine tailored specifically to that individual.

Once the vaccine is ready, it is given alongside durvalumab. Researchers are evaluating the safety of this approach and whether combining standard treatment with a personalized vaccine could provide a new option for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.

Personalizing the fight against small cell lung cancer

Creating More Possibilities Through Research

The progress made in lung cancer survival shows what sustained research can accomplish. But the number of lives still lost each year reminds us how much work remains.

For patients with aggressive cancers, limited treatment options or serious treatment-related side effects, early-phase clinical trials can offer a path toward something better. By funding bold, patient-centered research, Gateway helps scientists explore ideas that may lead to safer treatments, more personalized care and more time for patients and their families.

This World Lung Cancer Day, we recognize everyone affected by lung cancer and the researchers working to change what is possible. Together, we can help move the next promising discovery from the laboratory to the patients who need it most.

Gateway for Cancer Research blog

World Lung Cancer Day: Advancing Research for a Cancer That Demands Greater Progress