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Screening for Lung Cancer

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Checklists

View and download checklists to help you prepare for doctor visits and traveling.

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Additional Resources for Survivors

Explore additional resources to help you find information on many aspects of living with lung cancer, resources in your area, and specific kinds of assistance.

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COPE Sessions at HOPE Summit

Learn about LUNGevity’s COPE Summit, a full-day summit designed by and for caregivers at all stages, held in Washington, DC each spring.

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Questions to Ask Your Healthcare Team

Help guide your treatment conversations at every step with this series of questions for you to ask your healthcare team.

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How Lung Cancer Develops

Understand how the lungs work, how lung cancer develops, and how it can metastasize (spread to another part of the body).

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Role of the Caregiver

Caregiving may be the most difficult job you ever take on, but one of the most valuable. Discover resources to assist you with this responsibility.

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Recently Diagnosed

Are you or a loved one recently diagnosed and wondering what happens now? LUNGevity’s Right Track can guide the way to precision resources and treatment.

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Lung Nodules

Lung nodules can be quite common, and most are not cancerous, but it is important to understand what they are and how they may impact your treatment plan.

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Signs & Symptoms

Learn how to identify the signs and symptoms of lung cancer and when it may be time to talk to your doctor.

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Caregiving Tips

Check out these 10 tips to help you through the caregiver process and download tip sheets on specific aspects of caregiving.

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Intelligent Nutrition Assistant

Eating a healthy diet can play an important role in lung cancer care. Ina®, a personal intelligent nutrition assistant, is available 24/7 for on-demand support.

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Donate Now

Support LUNGevity Foundation with a one-time, monthly, or annual donation. Funds can be directed to lung cancer research, education and support, or areas of greatest need.

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Types of Lung Cancer

Not all lung cancers are the same. Learn about the two major histologic types, small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which have several subtypes.

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End-of-Life Planning

As a caregiver, you are in the best position to help your loved one address the practical, logistical, and emotional concerns that go along with an often fast-moving disease. LUNGevity has gathered resources to help you navigate this process.

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COVID-19 and Lung Cancer

Get important information about COVID-19 and lung cancer, including a glossary of terms in English and Spanish, frequently asked questions about the virus and the vaccine, and interviews with medical experts.

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Honor/Memorial Donations

When you donate in honor or memory of someone, LUNGevity will send an acknowledgment of your thoughtful donation to the person indicated but will not reveal the amount of the donation.

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Diagnosing Lung Cancer

Discover what steps and tests are used in diagnosing lung cancer, including medical history, imaging tests, laboratory tests, biopsies, and biomarker tests.

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Additional Resources for Caregivers

Explore additional resources to help you in your role as a caregiver.

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Family Reach's Financial Treatment Program

A lung cancer diagnosis can often bring financial barriers with it. Financial Treatment Program helps you manage your finances to give you peace of mind.

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Monthly Giving

Add hope to your monthly subscriptions by becoming a LUNGevity monthly donor. Subscribe today.

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Your Medical Team

Many types of doctors and other healthcare professionals may be a part of your comprehensive care team. Find out more about the roles and responsibilities of your medical team.

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More Resources for Patients & Caregivers

Browse additional resources selected to help you find more information and support.

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No One Missed Campaign

What is a biomarker? Why is it important? How do you test for it? Find all the facts you need to know on comprehensive biomarker testing to talk about this with your doctor.

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Get Educational Materials

View and download materials about lung cancer, raising awareness in your community, and vital support services for survivors and their loved ones.

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Treatment Options for Lung Cancer

Find out more about treatment options for lung cancer by type and stage of the cancer.

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Lung Cancer Statistics

Learn the facts about lung cancer and download infographics to share this information with others.

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Who Should Be Screened?

Understand what the present guidelines are for lung cancer screening and how that may impact your doctor’s recommendation.

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Get Educational Materials

View and download materials about lung cancer, raising awareness in your community, and vital support services for survivors and their loved ones.

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Reducing Your Risk

Take an in-depth look at many risk factors associated with lung cancer including tobacco exposure, radon, air pollution, and more.

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Social Media Volunteer Program

Help promote LUNGevity and lung cancer awareness as a Social Media Ambassador. Find out more about program qualifications and apply today.

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Are You Eligible for Screening?

See if the present guidelines suggest that you should be screened for lung cancer. Start the quiz now.

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Gifts of Stock

A gift of appreciated securities can be a meaningful contribution while also providing the donor a charitable income tax deduction.

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Glossary

Explore a robust glossary of terms and acronyms related to lung cancer.

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Get Educational Materials

View and download materials about lung cancer, raising awareness in your community, and vital support services for survivors and their loved ones.

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How Is Screening Done?

Discover what to expect during a Low Dose CT scan for lung cancer.

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Matching Gifts

Find out if your employer matches contributions you make to nonprofit organizations. You may be able to double the value of your gift.

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Practical Support

Get information about support with practical aspects of having cancer such as transportation to and from medical appointments, basic living needs and expenses, and employment and legal issues.

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Tribute Funds

Honor or remember a loved one by creating a LUNGevity Tribute Fund, a fundraising campaign established in honor of them that you and others can donate to.

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Follow-up After Screening

The results are in, and now what? Learn about the important steps you need to take after a follow-up screening.

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Event Donations

People from across the country are raising money for LUNGevity by participating in our national events. Donate to an event participant or Team LUNGevity athlete to support his or her fundraising campaign.

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Emotional Support & Community

Communities can help offer much-needed emotional support for people with lung cancer. Discover how LUNGevity can connect you with others.

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Video and Webinar Library

Browse video content covering topics like education, support programs, survivor stories, and more.

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Risk Factors

Take an in-depth look at the many risk factors associated with lung cancer, including tobacco smoke, radon, and air pollution.

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Virtual Meetups

Make friends and find encouragement through our Virtual Meetups for patients, survivors, caregivers, and friends and family members of people with lung cancer.

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Complementary Therapies

Some patients find complementary therapies beneficial in addition to their lung cancer treatments. Find out more about common complementary practices.

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Biomarker Testing

Not all lung cancers are the same. Comprehensive biomarker testing can identify specific genetic “drivers” in your cancer (called biomarkers) that cause cancer to grow and spread in different ways. This can help you identify the appropriate treatment plan for you.

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Become a Mentor

Find out more about available peer-to-peer mentoring from survivors and caregivers as well as clinical trial ambassadors, who help shed light on the clinical trial experience.

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Survivorship Conferences

Learn about LUNGevity’s survivorship conferences, which are designed to inform, connect, and empower anyone who has been affected by lung cancer.

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Screening & Early Detection

Finding lung cancer early on can make a difference. Learn about early detection and all the details you need to know about the screening process.

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Find a Clinical Trial

Considering participating in a clinical trial? Use our custom search tool or connect with our partners at EmergingMed to find an available trial that may be right for you.

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Get Educational Materials

View and download materials about lung cancer, raising awareness in your community, and vital support services for survivors and their loved ones.

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Online Communities

Discover many ways to connect online with other people who have been affected by lung cancer.

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Lung Cancer Staging

Learn about what lung cancer staging is, when and how it is determined, and what each specific stage means for you.

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Lung Cancer Navigator Mobile App

Check out LUNGevity’s Lung Cancer Navigator mobile app, a customizable tool that puts your entire support network in the palm of your hand.

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Volunteer for Events

Learn about events in your area and how you can start your own DIY fundraiser

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Survivor Stories

In our HOPE Summit video series, survivors speak candidly about many aspects of lung cancer including their diagnosis and treatment, common misconceptions about the disease, how they have transformed into advocates for research, and more.

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Managing Treatment Side Effects

Better understand and manage the side effects of conventional cancer therapies such as radiation and chemotherapy.

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Lung Cancer HELPLine

LUNGevity’s Lung Cancer HELPLine offers toll-free, personalized support for patients and caregivers. Dial 844-360-5864 Monday through Thursday, 10am to 6pm ET, and Friday, 10am to 5pm ET.

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How Lung Cancer Develops

Understand how the lungs work, how lung cancer develops, and how it can metastasize (spread to another part of the body).

Learn More
What To Ask Your Doctor

Help guide your treatment conversations at every step with this series of questions for healthcare professionals.

Learn More
Managing Your Breathing

Learn about pulmonary rehabilitation, a medically supervised program to help people with lung disease improve their overall physical, mental, and social functioning. 

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Peer-to-Peer Mentoring

Finding someone who understands what you’re going through isn’t easy. Patients and caregivers can get matched with one-on-one mentors who can help you navigate through the emotions and logistics of life with lung cancer.

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Why Is Early Detection Important?

Finding lung cancer early, when it is most treatable, can save lives. Learn about early detection and what you need to know about lung cancer screening.

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How Lung Cancer Develops

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To learn how lung cancer develops, it is helpful to understand first how the lungs work. Here you'll find the basics on lung function and how cancer can develop in the lung.

The primary purpose of our two lungs is to bring oxygen into the body and to push carbon dioxide, which forms as a waste product of the body’s cells, out. Each of our lungs has sections called lobesA portion of an organ—two in the left lung and three in the right lung. When we inhale, air enters our nose or mouth and goes down our tracheaThe airway that leads from the larynx (voice box) to the bronchi (large airways that lead to the lungs); also called windpipe. The trachea branches into two sets of bronchial tubes, each one taking air to a lung. Inside the lung, the air makes its way into smaller and smaller branched tubes, called bronchiolesTiny branches of air tubes in the lungs that narrow down from the bronchus and connect to the alveoli (air sacs), until it finally enters the alveoliTiny air sacs where the lungs and the bloodstream exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen, very small balloon-like sacs. The transfer of oxygen into the bloodsteam and carbon dioxide out of the bloodstream (and ultimately out of the airways) takes place in the alveoli.1,2

Lung anatomy diagram
The lungs are made up of many different types of cells. Most of these cells are epithelial cellsCells that line the internal and external surfaces of the body. These line the airways and make mucus to lubricate and protect the lungs. Other lung cells include blood cells, nerve cells, hormone-producing cells, and structural cells.3

On the outside of each lung and lining the inside wall of the chest cavityA hollow area or hole is a thin membraneA very thin layer of tissue that covers a surface called the pleuraA thin layer of tissue that cover the lungs and lines the inside wall of the chest cavity. The pleurae form a sac called the pleural cavityThe space enclosed by the pleura, a thin layer of tissue that covers the lung and lines the inside wall of the chest cavity. Within the pleural cavity is a small amount of fluid that acts as a lubricant to allow the lungs to move freely in the chest when we breathe.1

Development of lung cancer

Normally, the cells in our lungs and other parts of our body have a specific growth and death cycle that keeps the number of cells in check. Cancer, of any kind, develops when a set of specific changes, called mutations, develop in a previously normal cell. When the set of mutations affects genes in ways that change the natural growth and death cycles of cells, unregulated cell division can result in too many cells. It's like a car when the gas pedal gets stuck or the brakes don’t work—the cells just keep dividing with nothing to stop them.

The mutated and abnormally multiplying cells form a mass called a tumorAn abnormal mass of tissue that results when cells divide more than they should or do not die when they should, neoplasmAn abnormal mass of tissue that results when cells divide more than they should or do not die when they should, or lesionAn area of abnormal tissue. In the case of lung cancer, this mass might be detected as a noduleA growth or lump that may be malignant (cancer) or benign on a chest X-rayA type of high-energy radiation that can go through the body and onto film, making pictures of areas inside the chest, which can be used to diagnose disease or CT scanA procedure that uses a computer linked to an X-ray machine to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. The mass can be benignnoncancerous, or it can be malignantcancerous.

Lung cancer metastasis illustration

When the tumor cells are able to invade normal tissues, the tumor is considered to be malignant. When the malignant cells originally come from the lung, the tumor is considered to be lung cancer.2

Spread of Cancer

The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another is known as metastasis, and the tumors formed by those cancer cells that have spread are called metastases. Lung cancer metastases can spread to lymph nodes around the lungs, and they can also travel through the bloodstream to other organs, such as bones, the adrenal glands, and the brain.2

Sometimes cancer starts in other parts of the body and spreads to the lung. That is considered metastasis of the original type of cancer, not lung cancer. Only cancer that starts in the lung is considered lung cancer.2

Updated February 9, 2021


References

  1. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)—Patient Version. National Cancer Institute website. http://www.cancer.gov/types/lung/patient/non-small-cell-lung-treatment-pdq#link/_118. Updated December 3, 2020. Accessed February 9, 2021.
  2. NCCN Guidelines for Patients®: Lung Cancer—Early and Locally Advanced—Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network website. https://www.nccn.org/patients/guidelines/content/PDF/lung-early-stage-patient.pdf. Based on Version 3.2019, January 18, 2019. Accessed February 9, 2021.
  3. Lung Cancer – Non-Small Cell: Introduction. Cancer.Net website. http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/lung-cancer-non-small-cell/introduction. Approved May 20, 2020. Accessed February 9, 2021.

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