Looking for Answers: How GO2’s Registry is Studying Lung Cancer Risk 

Spend just a few minutes talking with people who have been diagnosed with lung cancer, and a familiar rhythm begins to emerge: “I never thought I’d be diagnosed with lung cancer.” “I eat healthy… I run and lift weights… I’ve never even smoked.” Then come the stories—the unexpected turns that changed everything. A scan after a car accident revealed a suspicious nodule. A runner noticed she was getting winded on her usual route. A lingering cough led to a test, and then another, until the unthinkable became real. Each story is different, yet the same question echoes through them all: Why me?

While doctors focus on finding the best ways to treat lung cancer, our researchers are looking deeper into the environments, lifestyles, and histories that might help explain why lung cancer develops in some people and not in others. 

We’re asking questions like: 

• What kinds of environments, at home or at work, have people spent the most time in? 

• What does their health history look like? 

• What about diet and exercise habits? 

To explore these questions, GO2 for Lung Cancer created a planning committee made up of people living with lung cancer, along with doctors and professionals who treat and study it. Together, we reflected on one clear truth: the earlier lung cancer is discovered, the better the chance for effective treatment and survival 

From those discussions came a new initiative: A set of surveys designed to learn both from people living with lung cancer and those who don’t have it but may have experienced certain risk factors. By comparing responses, we hope to identify patterns that could lead to earlier detection, and ultimately, save more lives through prevention and diagnosis.  

The Lung Cancer Risk Survey is a 4-part questionnaire that asks about your health, lifestyle, and the environments where you’ve spent the most time. It takes about 20–25 minutes to complete. 

Who can take the survey? 

You may qualify if any of the following apply: 

• You use or used tobacco products 

• You have a family history of lung cancer 

• You’ve worked in jobs with poor air quality (military, firefighting, mining, etc.) 

• You’ve been exposed to radon 

• You have lung diseases like COPD or pulmonary fibrosis 

• You’ve lived through major air pollution events (like 9/11 or wildfires) 

Jeffery Velotta, MD, FACS, at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, has been an early supporter of GO2’s Lung Cancer Risk Survey. 

“I love how it really looks into other significant risk factors beyond traditional smoking and pack years—because as we know, those other risk factors are crucial in the development of lung cancer. They can be additive and perhaps even more applicable, especially for younger people who get lung cancer,” said Dr. Velotta.  

If you’ve spent time working in smoke-related environments, responded to disasters like 9/11 or wildfires, mined underground, or simply lived in areas with poor air quality—your lived experience could make a difference. You can help researchers learn how factors at home, at work, and in the environment may affect lung health.