Michelle knew what was wrong. She knew the headaches, regular vomiting, ear popping, and “whooshing” sounds in her head were all signs of leptomeningeal disease (LMD). The issue, however, is that LMD is so rare—only diagnosed in 5% of people with cancer—she had to advocate for the testing to prove it. “I called my clinic and said I needed a brain MRI because I think I have LMD. They didn’t want to schedule one, so I said, tell my doctor I’m demanding a brain MRI. I can tell him directly if I need to,” says Michelle. Leptomeningeal disease, or LMD, occurs when cancer from somewhere in the body

What Is Integrative Oncology? Integrative oncology is the use of complementary therapies alongside conventional lung cancer treatments like chemotherapy, targeted therapy, surgery, or immunotherapy. Integrative oncology—also called integrative medicine—is an evidence-informed whole-body approach to health. It is often used to address symptoms and side effects caused by disease or treatment and improve overall quality of life. Specific examples of integrative oncology for lung cancer include: Acupuncture or massages to address pain or nausea Exercise to reduce pain and improve overall quality

Surgery is a treatment option for early-stage lung cancer that involves removing all or part of a lung to treat a cancerous tumor. It is primarily an option for people with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) staged at I, II, or IIIA. Surgery is rarely considered for tumors at stage IIIB or IV because those lung cancers have spread to other parts of the body. It is also rarely used to treat small cell lung cancer (SCLC) because SCLC is typically diagnosed at a later stage. Types of Lung Cancer Surgery Once the medical team decides someone’s lung cancer is resectable (able to be removed by

Read time: 2 minutes. Here we present the final video in our three-part series about how patients and researchers can work together to develop clinical trials. In the video below, LUNGevity again partnered with Rising Tide for Clinical Cancer Research to illustrate the power of having patients contribute to the research process. We use a real-world example to learn about patient-researcher collaborations through the POSITIVE study, a breast cancer-focused clinical trial. You can watch the entire video, or use the timestamps below. Make sure to watch parts 1 and 2 of this series here: How Can

Read time: 2 minutes. We are pleased to continue our three-part series about how patients and researchers can work together to develop clinical trials. In this second video, LUNGevity again partnered with Rising Tide for Clinical Cancer Research to show how researchers and patient advocates can be empowered with tools to create clinical trials that resonate with patients and address the key issues they care about. If you missed the first video, How Can Patients and Researchers Design Clinical Trials Together, you can watch it here. Watch Part 2 below, or use the timestamps to skip to a

Read time: 3 minutes. Throughout 2024 we published blogs sharing scientific meeting recaps, educational content, personal stories, treatment news, and so much more. Below are the most popular articles we published in 2024. If you’re looking for survivor features and personal stories, you can see all the lung cancer survivors we highlighted in 2024 right here. 2024 ASCO: Highlights of Lung Cancer Research In June, we recapped the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. Thousands of oncologists, scientists, biotech and pharmaceutical representatives, patients, and advocates

Read time: 2 minutes. Brain metastases (also called brain mets) develop when cancer from somewhere else in the body spreads to the brain. Over time, tumors can become metastatic (travel to other parts of the body). When lung cancer travels to the brain, it requires specialized treatments that can cross the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier is a tight network of blood vessels and tissue that allows some substances, such as oxygen and water, into the brain while protecting it from potentially harmful substances—including some anticancer drugs. Often, different types of lung cancer

Lung cancer screening and early detection were major topics of discussion at the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), held in San Diego from September 7-10, and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) conference in Barcelona from September 13-17. This fourth and final blog in our series of updates summarizes highlights from these discussions. You can read the other update blogs from these fall science meetings: Metastatic NSCLC Highlights Small Cell Lung Cancer Highlights Early-Stage and Locally Advanced NSCLC Cancer screening involves tests that can detect early-stage cancer when

Read time: 5 minutes. This is Part 3 in our series on how drugs get approved to treat lung cancer. Part 1: Understanding Clinical Trials - Why Are They Important for Drug Development? Part 2: How We Define Success for a Clinical Trial The United States federal government aims to regulate prescription drugs to ensure people are receiving medication that’s safe and effective. Every prescribed drug in the U.S. has gone through a rigorous testing process that can take over a decade to complete before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the drug and people can benefit from

Read time: 6 minutes. This is Part 2 of 3 in our series on how drugs get approved to treat lung cancer. Make sure to read Part 1 on the phases of clinical trials and why they are important for new drug development. We all want a treatment for lung cancer that is completely safe and entirely effective. While researchers are working toward that goal, the reality is we aren’t there yet. Every treatment we are considering comes with potential benefits and side effects. The overarching role of clinical trials is to measure the pros and cons of each drug to help us identify the best treatments for