Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, accounting for estimated 1.9 million deaths in 2024.¹ Far too often, diagnosis comes at an advanced stage, when the disease is more difficult to treat. Yet advances in early detection, precision diagnostics and innovative therapies now make meaningful change possible across the entire patient pathway. Changing the story of lung cancer is in our hands.
Lung cancer care has made important progress, yet it remains the leading cause of cancer death globally.1 In England, 57% of lung cancer cases were diagnosed at an advanced stage (III-IV) in 2022, when treatment is often more difficult and chances of survival are lower. ²
#1 cause of cancer death1
with ≈1.9 million deaths globally in 2024
Late diagnosis
57% Of lung cancer cases diagnosed at advanced stages (III–IV) in England in 20222
Low survival rates
Five-year relative survival across all stages is 29.5% in the United States; five-year net survival for stage III is around 15% in England.3,4*
Screening eligibility gaps
Around 50% of patients with a smoking history who developed lung cancer would not have met the US screening criteria assessed.5
* US: patients diagnosed 2016–2022; England: patients diagnosed 2016–2020. These figures are not directly comparable. Single-centre US study assessing USPSTF/CMS screening eligibility criteria applicable at the time.
Scientific advances have already changed what is possible in lung cancer. Compared with the mid-1990s and early 2000s, five-year lung cancer survival rates nearly doubled, reaching approximately 27-28% for patients diagnosed between 2015 and 2019.6 The next challenge is to translate that momentum into consistent outcomes across the entire pathway. Because detection, diagnosis, care decisions and patient support are deeply connected, progress in one area may not fully compensate for gaps in another. Truly transforming outcomes requires coordinated action and investment across four priorities: early detection, precision diagnostics, standards of care, and a patient-centred ecosystem.
How can early detection improve lung cancer survival?
Expanding funded, risk-based screening is one of the most effective ways to diagnose more people while treatment can still make a meaningful difference.
Five-year survival in England, diagnosis period 2016-2020
Stage at diagnosis |
Five-year survival |
|---|---|
Stage I |
~65%4 |
Stage IV |
~5%4 |
However, traditional screening programmes often use eligibility criteria based on factors including age and smoking history and use low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). In one US study, around 50% of patients with a smoking history who developed lung cancer would not have met the screening criteria in use at the time.5 This can leave some people at elevated risk—including never-smokers and people who fall outside current age or smoking thresholds—without access to screening.
Research into risk factors beyond age and smoking history is helping scientists consider how screening might identify a broader range of people at risk.7 At the same time, innovative tools such as AI-supported imaging pathways are helping speed up diagnostic assessment and enabling prompt referrals.,8,9 By tailoring who we screen, the technologies we deploy and how early we detect, we can make early diagnosis the norm.
Why is complete biomarker testing important in lung cancer?
Lung cancer is not one disease. Its biology varies substantially between patients, and identifying relevant biomarkers helps inform treatment decisions. Getting patients onto the most appropriate personalised care pathway from the outset depends on complete, timely biomarker testing and access to matched targeted therapies.10,11 Yet infrastructure and access gaps persist. In a global survey, 43% of respondents reported sometimes or often initiating treatment before biomarker results were available.11 Real-world research is also examining whether access to biomarker-informed treatment is associated with more equitable outcomes across patient groups.12 These findings should be interpreted within the specific context and populations of each analysis.
How are new treatments changing the standard of care in lung cancer?
Advances across multiple treatment mechanisms are reshaping expectations across stages of lung cancer.
Targeted approach |
What it does |
|---|---|
Targeted therapies13 |
Block specific genetic drivers that help cancer grow and spread.
|
Immuno-oncology13 |
Harness the body's immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells.
|
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) 14 |
Combine a targeted antibody with a cancer-killing payload to deliver treatment directly to cancer cells.
|
Bispecific antibodies14 |
Bind to two different targets simultaneously, helping to improve precision and therapeutic activity.
|
The ongoing challenge is evaluating and integrating these innovations at the optimal point in the patient pathway. In epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated lung cancer, for example, treatments previously reserved for advanced disease are now also used after surgical resection in early-stage care to help reduce the risk of recurrence15.
When health systems accelerate the integration of novel therapies into early-stage care pathways, treatment can make the meaningful difference for patients.
How can patient navigation improve access to lung cancer care?
Patients navigating lung cancer face complex referral routes, long waiting times,16 financial strain,17 and persistent societal stigma.18 To overcome these barriers, patient navigation and coordinated care should be built into health systems as core infrastructure rather than treated as optional add-ons. Dedicated patient navigation programmes have been shown to increase screening participation in community settings,19 and, in a US community oncology network, nurse navigation reduced the time from a chest X-ray suspicious for cancer to treatment initiation by 19 days.20
Closing system-level gaps requires collaboration across healthcare, policy, industry and patient communities to help ensure that no one faces lung cancer alone. Stakeholders are working together to strengthen multidisciplinary team decision-making, work with advocates and policymakers to address patient needs, and advance integrated approaches to lung health aligned with World Health Organization priorities.21
What will it take to change lung cancer outcomes?
Changing the story of lung cancer will not come from one breakthrough alone. It will depend on connecting advances in early detection, precision diagnostics, treatment and patient-centred care—and ensuring that evidence-based innovation reaches those who need it most.
Sustained scientific progress, rigorous evidence, and collaboration across the lung cancer ecosystem can reduce the burden of disease and deliver better outcomes for more people.
The ambition is significant, but the opportunity is in our hands.
