Lung

Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and the most underfunded common cancer in terms of research. With 220,000 lung cancer diagnoses each year in the United States, most cases are linked to tobacco smoking, the single most preventable cause of death.

The effort to eliminate lung cancer has begun with a comprehensive approach to change how we prevent, detect and treat it. We will develop new, integrated approaches for detecting lung cancers early, when they are most curable, and rapidly develop a platform to profile all known targetable genetic mutations, which will be used to personalize treatment of early stage and advanced lung cancer patients.

MD Anderson’s Lung Cancer Moon Shot will combine the latest in treatment technology and genetic knowledge to identify and advance the most promising new treatments in a faster, more efficient way.

Our Approach

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  • Goals

    Great progress has been made in understanding the molecular changes that promote lung cancer and developing markers to detect lung cancer and predict which drugs are most likely to be effective. The groundbreaking BATTLE trial paved the way for the development of new markers for personalizing therapy in advanced lung cancer.  We will build on the BATTLE approach and apply emerging technologies for profiling tumors to develop new markers and treatment regimens that will enable us to personalize therapies for potentially curable early-stage lung cancer as well as advanced disease.

    Our goals are to:

    • Reduce tobacco use by 15% among youth and young adults through comprehensive smoking prevention programs and the development of personalized approaches to smoking cessation
    • Improve CT imaging detection and integrate molecular risk markers to reduce the false positive rate of lung cancer screening by more than 20%
    • Integrate molecular profiling in early-stage and locally advanced lung cancer to increase number of patients who are cured by 10-20%
    • Use molecular profiles from patients to develop lung cancer models that enable the rapid identification of effective new drugs for specific groups of patients

  • Research

    Research Lab SequencingIn the last several years, advances have set the stage for dramatic progress in the prevention, detection and treatment of lung cancer.

    Our research goals include:

    • Comprehensively profiling all the common genetic alterations of tumors from both early-stage and advanced lung cancer patients and develop treatment strategies for each major subtype
    • Pinpointing molecular markers that identify patients at high risk for lung cancer development and recurrence to guide appropriate therapy
    • Comprehensively profiling tumors that become resistant to treatment and developing new approaches for overcoming this resistance

  • Infrastructure

    Imaging DiagnosisMD Anderson has been working with an internal bioinformatics and biostatistics group to process the information discovered during biopsies and the data on molecular profiling. These data individualize treatment options and will be the cornerstone for treating all types of lung cancer with specific genetic markers.

    We will use this framework, integrating both biopsy and molecular profiling data. We will use animal models representing the different types of lung cancer to test new and FDA-approved drugs to determine which are most likely to be effective in particular subgroups of lung cancer patients. The information will be used to establish a “drug repurposing pipeline” that will accelerate the testing of FDA-approved drugs in lung cancer patients.

  • Public Policy

    Spiral CTLung cancer is the cancer in which we can make the greatest impact by implementing existing technologies and therapies. With MD Anderson leaders and our unrivaled resources, we are uniquely positioned to make great strides in lung cancer prevention and treatment.

    The Lung Moon Shot will benefit public policy by:

    • Contributing to a reduction in youth smoking rates
    • Detecting lung cancer earlier in more people before it spreads
    • Subjecting fewer patients to unnecessary testing and biopsies by reducing false positive rates associated with our current screening approaches
    • Pioneering molecular profiling in early-stage lung cancer, translating to more cures
    • Helping advanced lung cancer patients who will benefit from more personalized and effective treatment

  • Goals

    Great progress has been made in understanding the molecular changes that promote lung cancer and developing markers to detect lung cancer and predict which drugs are most likely to be effective. The groundbreaking BATTLE trial paved the way for the development of new markers for personalizing therapy in advanced lung cancer.  We will build on the BATTLE approach and apply emerging technologies for profiling tumors to develop new markers and treatment regimens that will enable us to personalize therapies for potentially curable early-stage lung cancer as well as advanced disease.

    Our goals are to:

    • Reduce tobacco use by 15% among youth and young adults through comprehensive smoking prevention programs and the development of personalized approaches to smoking cessation
    • Improve CT imaging detection and integrate molecular risk markers to reduce the false positive rate of lung cancer screening by more than 20%
    • Integrate molecular profiling in early-stage and locally advanced lung cancer to increase number of patients who are cured by 10-20%
    • Use molecular profiles from patients to develop lung cancer models that enable the rapid identification of effective new drugs for specific groups of patients

  • Research

    Research Lab SequencingIn the last several years, advances have set the stage for dramatic progress in the prevention, detection and treatment of lung cancer.

    Our research goals include:

    • Comprehensively profiling all the common genetic alterations of tumors from both early-stage and advanced lung cancer patients and develop treatment strategies for each major subtype
    • Pinpointing molecular markers that identify patients at high risk for lung cancer development and recurrence to guide appropriate therapy
    • Comprehensively profiling tumors that become resistant to treatment and developing new approaches for overcoming this resistance

  • Infrastructure

    Imaging DiagnosisMD Anderson has been working with an internal bioinformatics and biostatistics group to process the information discovered during biopsies and the data on molecular profiling. These data individualize treatment options and will be the cornerstone for treating all types of lung cancer with specific genetic markers.

    We will use this framework, integrating both biopsy and molecular profiling data. We will use animal models representing the different types of lung cancer to test new and FDA-approved drugs to determine which are most likely to be effective in particular subgroups of lung cancer patients. The information will be used to establish a “drug repurposing pipeline” that will accelerate the testing of FDA-approved drugs in lung cancer patients.

  • Public Policy

    Spiral CTLung cancer is the cancer in which we can make the greatest impact by implementing existing technologies and therapies. With MD Anderson leaders and our unrivaled resources, we are uniquely positioned to make great strides in lung cancer prevention and treatment.

    The Lung Moon Shot will benefit public policy by:

    • Contributing to a reduction in youth smoking rates
    • Detecting lung cancer earlier in more people before it spreads
    • Subjecting fewer patients to unnecessary testing and biopsies by reducing false positive rates associated with our current screening approaches
    • Pioneering molecular profiling in early-stage lung cancer, translating to more cures
    • Helping advanced lung cancer patients who will benefit from more personalized and effective treatment
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Our Team

The Moon Shot leaders are charged with galvanizing the large and integrated team that will move forward in a milestone-driven manner to convert scientific knowledge into drugs, tests, devices and policies that can benefit patients as quickly as possible.

  • Stephen Swisher, M.D.

    Stephen Swisher, M.D.

    Chair and Professor, Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery
  • John Heymach, M.D., Ph.D.

    John Heymach, M.D., Ph.D.

    Associate Professor, Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology
  • Stephen Swisher, M.D.

    Stephen Swisher, M.D.

    Chair and Professor, Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery
  • John Heymach, M.D., Ph.D.

    John Heymach, M.D., Ph.D.

    Associate Professor, Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology
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Our Stories

These MD Anderson patients are surviving and thriving after their lung diagnosis. What we have learned from their cancer journeys provides the launch platform for the Lung Moon Shot.

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  • Chuck Martinez

    Chuck Martinez

    Lung Cancer

    In 2007, a year after surviving bladder cancer, 37-year-old Chuck Martinez received devastating news at a follow-up appointment. A routine chest X-ray revealed a mass in his right lung, which turned out to be stage IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer. Every weekday for about seven weeks, Martinez received chemotherapy at the MD Anderson main campus and proton therapy treatments at its Proton Therapy Center. He’s been cancer free since his treatment ended in September 2007. Through his cancer journey, Martinez has gone on to live a healthier, more active lifestyle. He lost 30 pounds and ran his first half marathon in January 2011, raising money for a organization whose volunteers regularly visit cancer patients. “It was one of the hardest and yet most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” says Martinez. “It’s very meaningful for me to be here and to be able to share such an accomplishment with my wife after all we’ve been through.” Read the full story…

  • Suzan Shughart

    Suzan Shughart

    Lung Cancer

    In July 2006, Suzan Shughart was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer and given 18-24 months to live. Refusing to accept this diagnosis, her determination to live and fight through cancer led her to the MD Anderson in search of answers.“They took a deeper look at my cancer and saw that my diagnosis didn’t have to be a death sentence,” she says. Today, after also undergoing treatment at MD Anderson for breast cancer in 2009, Shughart is in remission for both cancers and is doing well. She’s thankful for the care she’s been given, but also for having the courage to take charge of her health and find the best solution. “This experience has taught me to take a breath and deal with what you’ve been given,” she says. “It’s taught me that faith and a positive attitude are huge, not only in getting through cancer, but also in life.” Read the full story…

  • James Williams

    James Williams

    Lung Cancer

    James Williams thought he was in good health but a trip to the grocery store proved otherwise. He decided to stick his arm in a blood pressure machine. When he read how high the number was, he knew it had to be a mistake. “I thought, ‘Well, this machine is off,’ ” he says. The next day, James went to the doctor for X-rays and a tumor the size of a softball was discovered. “The location of James’ lung cancer was uncommon. And it’s an especially difficult area because of the surrounding vertebrae and the nerves and arteries,” explains Williams’ MD Anderson doctor, Stephen Swisher, M.D. “He came to us for a second opinion, and we felt that with our expertise and because of our collaboration with neurosurgery that the tumor could be removed.” Today, Williams is cancer free. He’s a volunteer at his local hospital and loves to play baseball with his grandson. “We’re enjoying life. And we owe it all to MD Anderson.” Read the full story…

  • Fe Crawford

    Fe Crawford

    Lung Cancer

    Fe Crawford had “graduated” – the breast cancer that brought her and her family from the Philippines to MD Anderson in 1990 had been in remission for four years. But just when life seemed normal again, she began to experience shortness of breath. Crawford went to MD Anderson the following day. Seven days later, she was undergoing surgery for a new suspicious lung lesion. More than 15 years later, she’s cancer free. Today, when Crawford’s not working as a hospice nurse, she’s busy singing in her church choir, ballroom dancing with her husband and keeping up with her four grandchildren. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my family, my faith and my belief in the doctors at MD Anderson,” she says. Read the full story…

  • Chuck Martinez

    Chuck Martinez

    Lung Cancer

    In 2007, a year after surviving bladder cancer, 37-year-old Chuck Martinez received devastating news at a follow-up appointment. A routine chest X-ray revealed a mass in his right lung, which turned out to be stage IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer. Every weekday for about seven weeks, Martinez received chemotherapy at the MD Anderson main campus and proton therapy treatments at its Proton Therapy Center. He’s been cancer free since his treatment ended in September 2007. Through his cancer journey, Martinez has gone on to live a healthier, more active lifestyle. He lost 30 pounds and ran his first half marathon in January 2011, raising money for a organization whose volunteers regularly visit cancer patients. “It was one of the hardest and yet most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” says Martinez. “It’s very meaningful for me to be here and to be able to share such an accomplishment with my wife after all we’ve been through.” Read the full story…

  • Suzan Shughart

    Suzan Shughart

    Lung Cancer

    In July 2006, Suzan Shughart was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer and given 18-24 months to live. Refusing to accept this diagnosis, her determination to live and fight through cancer led her to the MD Anderson in search of answers.“They took a deeper look at my cancer and saw that my diagnosis didn’t have to be a death sentence,” she says. Today, after also undergoing treatment at MD Anderson for breast cancer in 2009, Shughart is in remission for both cancers and is doing well. She’s thankful for the care she’s been given, but also for having the courage to take charge of her health and find the best solution. “This experience has taught me to take a breath and deal with what you’ve been given,” she says. “It’s taught me that faith and a positive attitude are huge, not only in getting through cancer, but also in life.” Read the full story…

  • James Williams

    James Williams

    Lung Cancer

    James Williams thought he was in good health but a trip to the grocery store proved otherwise. He decided to stick his arm in a blood pressure machine. When he read how high the number was, he knew it had to be a mistake. “I thought, ‘Well, this machine is off,’ ” he says. The next day, James went to the doctor for X-rays and a tumor the size of a softball was discovered. “The location of James’ lung cancer was uncommon. And it’s an especially difficult area because of the surrounding vertebrae and the nerves and arteries,” explains Williams’ MD Anderson doctor, Stephen Swisher, M.D. “He came to us for a second opinion, and we felt that with our expertise and because of our collaboration with neurosurgery that the tumor could be removed.” Today, Williams is cancer free. He’s a volunteer at his local hospital and loves to play baseball with his grandson. “We’re enjoying life. And we owe it all to MD Anderson.” Read the full story…

  • Fe Crawford

    Fe Crawford

    Lung Cancer

    Fe Crawford had “graduated” – the breast cancer that brought her and her family from the Philippines to MD Anderson in 1990 had been in remission for four years. But just when life seemed normal again, she began to experience shortness of breath. Crawford went to MD Anderson the following day. Seven days later, she was undergoing surgery for a new suspicious lung lesion. More than 15 years later, she’s cancer free. Today, when Crawford’s not working as a hospice nurse, she’s busy singing in her church choir, ballroom dancing with her husband and keeping up with her four grandchildren. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my family, my faith and my belief in the doctors at MD Anderson,” she says. Read the full story…

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Lung Resources

Links, video and audio podcasts with more information from MD Anderson about lung cancer

 

Information

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