Precision, Partnership, Purpose: Lung Cancer Highlights from AACR 2026

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting brought together thousands of cancer researchers, clinicians, advocates, and patients in San Diego from April 17–22. This year's theme—“Precision, Partnership, Purpose: Advancing Cancer Science to Save Lives Globally”—set a powerful tone for a meeting that showcased advances across the lung cancer landscape. One message was loud and clear. Science is accelerating, and we are reimagining how healthcare is delivered. From next-generation targeted therapies to AI-powered diagnostics, AACR 2026 offered a snapshot of both the

Podcast: Making the Most of Your Healthcare Visits

How do you make the most of your visits with your healthcare team? In this episode, lung cancer survivor Bill Morris shares his experience with lung cancer and how he approaches his healthcare visits now. Oncology nurse practitioner Rasheda Persinger shares her insights after 20 years of working with patients. Hosts Ann and Dr. Shields discuss with Bill and Rasheda what they wish every patient knew, from writing down questions before an appointment to asking about biomarker testing to why recording your visit can make all the difference. <a href="https://rss

Watch HOPE Summit 2026 Videos

HOPE Summit 2026 was filled with old friends reuniting, new friends being made, and of course, plenty of inspirational and informative sessions designed to help people live well with lung cancer. For the second year in a row, select sessions were recorded so those who could not attend are still able to access the valuable information shared. HOPE Summit 2026 Recorded Sessions Keynote: Wagons Roll with Dr. Ross Camidge Back in the Saddle: Reclaiming Strength and Living Well Charting New Territory with Palliative Care Partners Community Connections Across the Horizon Experts Around the Campfire

Podcast: Lung Cancer Diagnosis—What Happens Next

What happens after a lung cancer diagnosis? In this first episode of LUNGevity’s Lung Cancer Voices of Hope podcast, lung cancer survivor Lisa Bistline shares her experience, from initial scans and biopsies through multiple treatments, and the moment a later biopsy revealed a biomarker that led to a targeted therapy. Hosts Ann Steagall and Misty Shields, MD, PhD, then speak with Anne Chiang, MD, PhD, thoracic oncologist at Yale University, about what patients can expect at their first visit, including how doctors determine the type and stage of cancer, plan treatment, and approach care

Initial Treatment Options for HER2+ NSCLC Expand with New Zongertinib Approval

On February 26, 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the accelerated approval of zongertinib (Hernexeos®) as an initial treatment option for newly diagnosed patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with mutations in the HER2 gene. This approval expands the usage of this treatment from August 2025 when it was only approved for patients who have been previously treated with a systemic therapy (such as chemotherapy). Mutations in the HER2 gene (also called the ERBB2 gene) are responsible for approximately 2%-3% of nonsquamous NSCLCs. These mutations activate

Artificial Intelligence in Lung Cancer: Hope vs. Hype

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the future of cancer care, but such dramatic innovation also brings important questions. AI has evolved from early consumer tools (like autocorrect on phones, customer service chatbots, and personalized shopping recommendations) to advanced systems with the potential to revolutionize biomedical discovery and patient care. While there is tremendous excitement around AI, there is also a critical need to use it responsibly. Researchers are actively studying how to implement AI across the lung cancer continuum. Key areas of focus include improving

Why Immunotherapy Isn’t Perfect & How Scientists Are Working to Fix It

The human immune system is an intricate web of checks and balances that usually excels at detecting and destroying foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses, while protecting healthy tissue. But sometimes, the checks and balances get confused and stop the immune system from doing what’s right—such as killing tumor cells. Tumor cells are good at confusing the immune system because they originate from our healthy cells. They can often avoid detection by immune cells. Through several decades of research, we have identified two key protein pathways, PD-L1 and CTLA-4, that lung cancer cells

Biggest News from Berlin: Research Highlights from ESMO

Lung cancer research was in the spotlight at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) meeting held October 17-21, 2025, in Berlin, Germany. With approximately 30,000 attendees from over 100 countries, this meeting gathered an international audience of clinicians, researchers, patient advocates, and representatives from the healthcare industry to discuss cutting-edge cancer research and share practice-changing clinical trial data. We saw data from studies that aim to build upon existing treatments, to optimize combination approaches, and to address some of the unmet needs of people

New Accelerated Approval for HER2-positive NSCLC

On November 19, 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the accelerated approval of sevabertinib (Hyrnuo®) to treat patients with locally-advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with specific mutations in the HER2 gene. This approval is for patients who have been previously treated with HER2-targeted therapies, as well as patients who have received previous treatment that did not target HER2. Mutations in the HER2 gene (also called the ERBB2 gene) are responsible for approximately 2%-3% of nonsquamous NSCLCs. These mutations activate the HER2 protein and

New Insights in Treating Metastatic Lung Cancer from WCLC 2025

For people with advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the treatment landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. Researchers are learning how to optimize existing therapies and are exploring entirely new treatment approaches. At the 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), several studies highlighted progress in treating newly diagnosed individuals as well as those who need new options after standard therapies stop working. Combining Chemotherapy and Targeted Therapy to Treat EGFR-positive Lung Cancer One of the most anticipated studies at WCLC was the phase 3