Research

On February 6th, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Median Technologies’ eyonis Lung Cancer Screening (LCS), a medical device used for the combined detection and diagnosis of lung cancer. eyonis LCS is an AI-based technology designed to support the earlier detection of lung cancer by helping clinicians identify and characterize pulmonary (lung) nodules on low-dose CT (LDCT) scans.  

In performance testing, eyonis LCS demonstrated a:  

• 93.3% sensitivity, which means that if 100 people actually have lung cancer, the device will correctly identify about 93 of them. In other words, the device reliably detects cancer when it is present.

• 92.4% specificity, which means that if 100 people don’t have lung cancer, the device will correctly identify about 92 of them as cancer-free. In other words, the device largely avoids false alarms.

• 99.9% negative predictive value, which means that if the device says you don’t have cancer, there’s a 99.9% chance you truly don’t have it. In other words, a negative result is highly reliable.

These outcomes demonstrate the powerful potential for eyonis LCS to be used as a tool to enhance lung screening programs by improving screening accuracy, while reducing unnecessary follow-up procedures. The ability to detect suspicious pulmonary nodules earlier may also help clinicians diagnose lung cancer at earlier stages more frequently, where patient outcomes can be significantly improved.

If you or a loved one is eligible for lung cancer screening, ask your healthcare team about eyonis LCS. For questions about lung cancer treatments, trials, or biomarker testing, contact our LungMATCH team at support@go2.org or 1-800-298-2436.   

Read the FDA approval.  

By Matthew Reiss, MSE, PhD, Manager, Precision Medicine & Navigation, GO2 for Lung Cancer 

Hearing that cancer has spread to the brain or spinal cord can be a frightening, but very real outcome for many people living with lung cancer. While exact statistics are hard to pin down, recent studies suggest that about 10-40% of lung cancer patients’ cancer will spread to the brain or central nervous system.  

One rare form of spread, called leptomeningeal disease (LMD), can be especially confusing because it is unfamiliar and often hard to explain in simple terms. But better understanding what LMD is and how it may be treated can help you advocate for yourself in conversations with your healthcare team.

What is leptomeningeal disease?

To understand leptomeningeal disease, it can help to picture how the brain and spinal cord are protected. In the body, these structures are wrapped in a thin layer of tissue called the meninges. Inside these layers flows a clear liquid called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which helps to cushion and nourish the brain and spinal cord.

Leptomeningeal disease occurs when cancer cells, such as those from the lungs, travel to, and start growing in, the meninges or in the CSF surrounding the brain and spinal cord.  

How is LMD different from other brain metastases?

Many people have heard how cancer can sometimes spread from the lungs by travelling through the bloodstream to the brain, where it can begin to grow. These are called brain metastases or brain mets. Brain mets are not brain cancer, but rather lung cancer that has spread to the brain.

Leptomeningeal disease is different. While brain mets usually form as a solid tumor(s) in the brain itself, LMD involves the lining and fluid around the brain and spinal cord. Instead of a single or multiple solid tumor masses, LMD can look more like a thin coating or a pattern of streaking around/within these structures, possibly affecting many areas at once. This can make LMD harder to see on a scan and more challenging to diagnose

Because of this, symptoms of LMD can vary widely, and no 2 people experience LMD the same way. Often, symptoms include:  

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Changes in thinking or mood
• Double vision
• Weakness
• Difficulty walking
• Back pain
• Numbness

This also makes LMD more difficult to diagnose. Often, an LMD diagnosis is confirmed by collectively considering the results of MRI scans, spinal fluid tests, and other clinical exams.

How common is LMD in lung cancer?

Leptomeningeal disease is not common, but it is a possibility to be aware of for individuals living with lung cancer.

For individuals with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), LMD is very rare:

• Studies show that LMD occurs in about 3-5% of individuals living with NSCLC.
• It is more common in people with mutations or changes in genes such as EGFR, ALK, and ROS1.

LMD is more common, but still rare, in people living with small cell lung cancer (SCLC):

• About 2% of individuals with SCLC have signs of LMD at diagnosis.
• About 10% of individuals with SCLC have developed LMD after 2 years.

You may also sometimes hear people say that LMD diagnoses are becoming more common. While true, many researchers believe LMD is being diagnosed more often today, not only because of better scanning technology, but also because new treatments are allowing people to live long enough with lung cancer for rarer complications like LMD to occur.

Even though it’s uncommon, knowing the basics of LMD can help people better recognize symptoms early and get connected with a specialist.

The importance of seeing a specialist

Because LMD is complex, it is very helpful to work with clinicians who have experience treating it. Your doctor may refer you to a:

• Neuro-oncologist – a doctor specializing in cancers found in the brain and nervous system
• Medical oncologist with LMD experience
• Radiation oncologist – a doctor specializing in the use of radiation to treat cancer in areas such as the brain and spine

These experts work with your current healthcare team and can often open the door to more treatment options or clinical trials to help manage the cancer.  

Treating LMD can also be complex. Sometimes treatments that work well in one part of the body do not work the same way or as effectively in the brain or CSF. If this happens to you or your loved one, it’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed. You can always ask your care team to slow down, repeat information, or clarify anything. Asking questions is an important way to advocate for yourself.

Current treatment approaches for LMD

Overall, the goals of treatment for people with LMD are usually to slow or control further spread of the cancer, protect quality of life, and relieve troublesome symptoms such as pain, nausea, or nerve issues.

Exactly which treatment someone receives for LMD is highly personalized, but there are several commonly used approaches:

• Targeted or systemic (whole-body) treatments: For some people who have certain genetic changes, targeted therapies or immunotherapies can be effective ways to treat LMD. For others who do not have genetic changes that can be targeted, traditional chemotherapy is often used.
• Radiation therapy: Targeted radiation may also be used to treat the specific areas of LMD that are likely causing symptoms. For others, radiation may be used more widely along the brain or spinal cord to treat LMD over a large region.
• Intrathecal therapy: In some cases, medicines such as chemotherapy are delivered directly into the spinal fluid through a small device or spinal tap. This approach allows the treatment to better access the protected part of the body where LMD is occurring, although this approach is not appropriate for everyone.
• Supportive and palliative care: This approach includes medicines and services that focus on symptom relief, mobility, and emotional support for people with LMD, rather than treating the LMD directly. Supportive and palliative care should be offered alongside other treatment approaches.
• Emerging approaches: While LMD remains a serious diagnosis, there is real progress being made in clinical trials to find new and better ways to treat LMD and improve long-term outcomes. Talk to your healthcare team about whether a clinical trial for LMD may be right for you.

Closing thoughts

Leptomeningeal disease is complicated, and it is normal to have questions. If you or someone you care about has been told they have leptomeningeal disease related to lung cancer, reach out to your care team, ask about a referral to an expert, and feel comfortable asking questions related to your treatment options. Clear information is empowering and can help you advocate for the best possible care.  

If you’d like to learn more about LMD and its treatments, have questions, or need support, please contact our free HelpLine at 1-800-298-2436 or email support@go2.org.

By Matthew Reiss, MSE, PhD, Manager, Precision Medicine & Navigation, GO2 for Lung Cancer

This is the third blog post of our ongoing “Understanding Lung Cancer” series. This series aims to simplify the science behind lung cancer and help provide a deeper understanding of the disease. In the first and second parts, we introduced the basics of cells and explored how DNA damage can lead to cancer. We also discussed what drives cancer to grow and spread. This time, we’ll take a closer look at the role your immune system plays in cancer. We will also tackle how cancer cells avoid your immune system, and introduce the major types of lung cancer treatments used today, including approaches that are shaping the future of care.  

Your immune system: the body’s defense team

Aside from the cell’s own means of identifying abnormal cells and preventing them from growing, your body has another line of defense: your immune system. The immune system is made up of cells, tissues, and organs that work together. It protects you from infections, repairs injuries, and removes cells that are damaged or no longer needed. One of its most important jobs is to identify and destroy cells that aren’t acting normally, including cells that could become cancer. Think of it like an army inside your body. It is always on the lookout for anything that doesn’t belong, ready to fight it off to keep you healthy.

All cells have small “markers” or proteins found on their surface that tell the immune system whether they are healthy or not. If a cell seems abnormal, the immune system will target and destroy the cell before it becomes a bigger problem.

So you may wonder: If the immune system can remove normal cells, why doesn’t it always stop cancer?

How cancer cells avoid the immune system

Cancer cells are clever. As they grow and change, they learn new ways to hide from or block the immune system. There are several ways cancer cells do this, but the most common ways include:

• Hiding their abnormal markers so that immune cells can’t recognize them

• Displaying markers on their surfaces that act as “don’t attack me” messages to immune cells

• Creating an environment around the cancer cells that weakens the immune response

• Growing so quickly that the immune system can’t keep up

Cancer cells may use one or more of these methods to continue growing, even when the immune system tries to fight back.

Applying what we’ve learned

Now that we understand how cancer cells grow and how they avoid the immune system, we can focus on how current treatments work to address these challenges.

In addition to surgery, which is a treatment where a surgeon aims to remove the cancer itself, there are several commonly used treatment approaches in lung cancer.

Chemotherapy: a long-standing tool in cancer care

Chemotherapy, or “chemo,” works by attacking a cell’s ability to divide. It is known as a “systemic treatment,” meaning it travels through the bloodstream to affect the whole body, not just a specific, localized area. Unfortunately, this means that chemotherapy does not distinguish between healthy cells and cancer cells, which is why chemo often affects fast-growing cells throughout the body, including hair and blood cells. As a result, common side effects include hair loss and low blood cell counts.

Because cancer cells divide so much faster than healthy cells, chemotherapy can still be a useful treatment option for many people. Improvements over the years have made many chemo treatments easier to tolerate.

Radiation therapy: using energy to kill cancer cells

Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams to damage the DNA inside cells, including cancer cells. This slows their growth or destroys them. It can be delivered from outside the body, aimed directly at the tumor. In some cases, radiation is given directly to the tumor inside the body itself.  

Because radiation has the potential to also affect healthy cells, it’s usually given in specialized ways that minimize its effect on healthy cells while directing most of the radiation to the cancer cells specifically. As a result, radiation usually affects fewer healthy cells than chemotherapy, and today’s techniques are more precise than ever before.  

Targeted therapy: targeting what makes cancer cells different

We’ve previously talked about driver mutations. These are specific changes in the DNA of cancer cells that cause them to grow. Targeted therapies are treatments specifically designed to attack cells containing these driver mutations. Healthy cells are often spared, so people generally have fewer side effects.

The same targeted therapy won’t work for everyone,  because not everyone will have a driver mutation that can be treated using targeted therapies. This is why biomarker testing is so important, specifically in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The targeted therapy used is matched to each person’s test results.

There are many different kinds of targeted therapies, and new ones are being developed every day, but the 2 most commonly used targeted therapies in lung cancer are:

• Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which work by blocking the activity of the driver mutation in cancer cells to slow down or stop their growth.

• Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) that link targeting antibodies to chemotherapy-like drugs to deliver treatments directly to cancer cells. Think of it as “targeted chemo”.

Immunotherapy: using your immune system to fight back

Immunotherapies (sometimes called “IO”) are treatments that help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively. Currently, immunotherapies fall into 2 main classes:

• Checkpoint inhibitors are a type of cancer treatment that blocks the cancer cells’ ability to hide from your immune system. This allows your immune system to better find and attack the cancer.

• T-cell engagers are a type of cancer treatment that helps T-cells (a type of immune cell) better connect to cancer cells. This connection helps the immune system attack the cancer more effectively.

New treatments on the horizon

Cancer research moves quickly. New treatments, including those that fall into the categories above, are always in development. But before they are used more widely, new treatments must first be studied in clinical trials to ensure they are safe and effective. Clinical trials give lung cancer patients a chance to try promising new treatments. They also help doctors learn what works best for future care.

Everyone is different. The exact treatment your healthcare team recommends may include one or more of the treatments listed above. It’s important to speak with your healthcare team about which treatment is right for you.

Coming up next: lung cancer risks and prevention 

In the final part of this series, we’ll explore the factors that can affect lung cancer risk. These include genetics, environment, and lifestyle choices. We’ll also discuss what individuals and communities can do to support prevention, early diagnosis, and better access to care. 

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On December 17, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Rybrevant Faspro (amivantamab and hyaluronidase-lpuj) for subcutaneous injection, commonly known as a shot. This approval included all the same uses of Rybrevant (amivantamab) that the FDA previously approved for adults with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have an EGFR mutation.  

This latest approval is based on the results of the PALOMA-3 study, which compared the use of Rybrevant Faspro (amivantamab and hyaluronidase-lpuj) given by a shot (injection) under the skin versus traditional Rybrevant (amivantamab), which is given as an infusion into the bloodstream (intravenous/IV). People given Rybrevant Faspro (amivantamab and hyaluronidase-lpuj) as a shot received the drug over approximately 5 minutes compared to the standard IV, which can sometimes take a few hours.   

The study showed both administration methods to be equally effective, and individuals receiving Rybrevant Faspro (amivantamab and hyaluronidase-lpuj) by injection experienced significantly fewer administration-related reactions. This latest approval offers greatly improved patient convenience in receiving treatment and lowers the burden of healthcare resources needed.

Please speak with your healthcare team for more information about Rybrevant Faspro (amivantamab and hyaluronidase-lpuj) to see if it may be a good option for you. If you have questions about treatment, trials, or biomarker testing, contact our LungMATCH team at support@go2.org or 1-800-298-2436.   

Read the full FDA announcement.

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.

Please join us in shaping the future of lung cancer research. If you qualify, take the survey, share it with others, and help us uncover patterns behind lung cancer risk. Your feedback can guide researchers, potentially leading to earlier detection and saving lives.  Learn more.

On November 19, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the accelerated approval of Hyrnuo (sevabertinib) for people with locally advanced or metastatic, non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have a HER2 (ERBB-2) activating mutation and have already received systemic therapy, such as chemotherapy.  This latest approval is based on the results of the SOHO-01 study, which looked at how safe and effective Hyrnuo (sevabertinib) is for people with locally advanced or metastatic, non-squamous NSCLC whose tumors have a HER2 activating mutation in the tyrosine kinase domain (a region of the HER2 gene that helps control cell growth signals). Study participants who received Hyrnuo (sevabertinib) after previously receiving systemic therapy experienced both an encouraging response rate and benefits from treatment that lasted for a meaningful period of time. This is encouraging news for people with an uncommon HER2 NSCLC mutation who have progressed on systemic therapy and are looking for a new treatment option.   Hyrnuo (sevabertinib) is a type of targeted therapy treatment known as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), which works by blocking the activity of mutated HER2 in cancer cells and may help to slow down or stop their growth.   Please speak with your healthcare team for more information about Hyrnuo (sevabertinib) and to see if it may be a good option for you. If you have questions about treatment, trials, or biomarker testing, contact our LungMATCH team at support@go2.org or 1-800-298-2436.   Read the full FDA announcement.

One of the newer developments in the cancer testing and diagnostic space is the rise of minimal residual disease (MRD) testing. However, there can be confusion surrounding what it is, how it works, and whether it's a good fit for you or not. With the rapid rise of new diagnostic technologies and lab tests, it can be hard to know where to turn and what's best for you. Dive in as we demystify the what, how, and why of MRD testing, and shed some light on this exciting new subject!  

What is minimal residual disease (MRD) testing?

The goal of curative cancer treatment is to eliminate every single cancer cell circulating in the body. It is necessary to ensure that all cancer cells are eliminated because it only takes a single cancer cell to divide for cancer to begin growing and spreading throughout the body. This means that removing or eliminating a tumor does not guarantee that all cancer cells have been eliminated, so we often see treatment given even after surgical removal of a tumor. MRD testing is a new modality that aims to help patients and providers know how much, if any, cancer remains in the body after definitive treatment. In addition, MRD testing has the potential to help oncologists identify a possible cancer recurrence before it would be visible on a CT or PET scan.  

How does MRD testing work?

There are a few different techniques that scientists can use to determine the presence and load of cancer cells circulating within the body. One thing they have in common is that they all involve looking for pieces of cancer DNA present in the body's blood and tissues. One method of MRD testing involves taking a sample of a person's cancer tumor to identify its unique DNA profile. Once the unique genetic code for the cancer is obtained, blood samples taken from the individual can be analyzed to search for any microscopic DNA fragments that match this genetic signature. If any are found, it could be a sign that the cancer cells are still present/returning, and that further workup and treatment may be needed. Because this method is highly personalized to the individual and their cancer, there is a much lower chance of a false positive. However, this also means that this testing style can take longer to process and can be more expensive.  

The other common type of MRD testing relies on circulating genes and proteins in the body, rather than highly specific, personalized cancer DNA detection. Because of the unique ways cancer cells grow/divide and interact with cells in the body, they have certain markers that differentiate them from the normal cells and proteins in the body. The presence of some of these markers can indicate that an abnormal process is taking place in the body, alerting providers to the possibility of cancer, and indicating an opportunity for further evaluation and testing. Because this method isn't individualized to a person's tumor, it can be completed more quickly and cheaply. However, there is also a greater risk for false positives, as the tests primarily look at markers of abnormal DNA and cellular growth, and could have other underlying causes. Some examples of these broad MRD tests are the Oncomine cfDNA Assay by Thermo Fisher and Inivata's InVisionFirst-Lung test.

Is MRD testing right for me?

There are currently a couple of common uses for MRD tests in the real-world setting. The first, as mentioned above, is used after definitive lung cancer treatment, such as surgical removal of the tumor followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. After treatment, your care team may want to perform MRD testing to ensure that there are no surviving cancer cells that were missed by treatment that could go on to spread and cause a recurrence. Another use of this sort of testing still being studied is predictive testing for response to therapy. This means that the results of the MRD test may be used to indicate which patients are going to have a better response to treatment than others. In a study published in 2017 by Abbosh et. al, the findings showed that individuals who had a high MRD concentration after treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy were more likely to experience relapse/recurrence within a year compared to those who had lower MRD testing results.  

If you are interested in MRD testing and want to know if it could benefit you, please be sure to discuss it with your oncologist and cancer care team. Some questions you may consider asking include:

• Is minimal residual disease (MRD) testing something that could provide additional information, treatment, and response for my cancer?

• Is this something that is covered by my insurance, and is available through an insurance-approved laboratory?

• How would you use the findings of this test when treating my cancer?

• Are there any specific tests that would be best for my unique situation?  

How accessible is MRD testing?

There are several types of commercially available MRD tests, though the exact availability of these tests can vary by location. However, as the use of science behind these tests grows, access and coverage have also increased. Certain types of testing are covered by insurers and the Medicare/Medicaid programs (though again, this can vary from state to state). For a test to be approved by insurance, it generally needs to be approved for the intended use and have strong scientific evidence supporting it. For certain tests/insurers, prior authorization may be required as well. If you are interested in learning if MRD testing is eligible for coverage under your health plan, it is always best to check your insurance coverage and consult with your healthcare provider.

If you have any questions about MRD testing for your lung cancer, please know you can always contact our Helpline and LungMATCH teams by calling 1-800-298-2436 or emailing support@go2.org.  

By Andrew Ciupek and Brittney Nichols The GO2 team attended the 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer, where researchers from around the world shared the latest findings and breakthroughs in lung cancer research. Here are some of the key updates that stood out to us and what they could mean for people living with lung cancer and their loved ones:  

Targeted therapy innovations

Many new targeted therapy treatments were discussed throughout the conference for people at all stages of treatment. Researchers continue to look into new first treatment options for newly diagnosed lung cancer that has different changes or mutations. In addition to new targeted therapies, they are also seeing if combining another treatment, such as chemotherapy, with targeted therapy can improve outcomes. There were also several presentations on new treatments that may work after lung cancer has become “resistant” (stopped responding) to initial targeted therapies. The number of targeted therapy treatments is increasing offering, more options for lung cancer with targetable changes or mutations, and underscoring the importance of comprehensive biomarker testing to understand if your cancer has changes that indicate targeted therapy would be useful.  

New treatment options for small cell lung cancer (SCLC)

SCLC is an aggressive form of lung cancer that has had few major improvements in treatment options. However, new types of therapies have started to emerge recently that are improving outcomes, including the immune system activating therapy, Imdelltra (tarlatamab), which was FDA approved in 2024. At the conference, we saw evidence that researchers are continuing to explore promising new treatment methods for SCLC, including immune system activating drugs, combinations of more than one SCLC treatment type, and antibody-drug conjugates or ADCs which can bind to things on the outside of cancer cells and bring along other drugs that are attached to them. The number of new treatment options being studied brings hope that they will improve outcomes for what has been a very hard type of lung cancer to treat.  

Sequencing and combining therapies

The last several years have given us a multitude of new drugs and therapies in the lung cancer treatment landscape. This includes new targeted therapies, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), and cellular therapies, to name a few. Clinicians are now faced with incorporating these new medications alongside the existing ones. This involves studying how chemotherapy and targeted therapy can work together, if newer targeted therapy agents can be combined with immunotherapies (a combination previously too toxic to tolerate), and where ADCs fit in this schema. We’re also seeing increased attention paid to the side effects (physical, mental, and financial) that come with combining treatments. This recognition of changing standards of care paves the way for powerful growth in the years to come.

Using blood tests to monitor and make treatment decisions

Cancer cells can release things, such as DNA and RNA, into the blood. Blood tests can identify and measure the various things cancer cells release to provide important information for doctors and patients. We are just starting to understand the best ways to use these blood tests in the clinic, and there were many presentations at the conference using these tests in different ways. We saw research on the use of blood tests to predict the risk of cancer coming back after surgery and monitor for it, to predict treatment outcomes and monitor the cancer’s response to a drug, and also to detect the occurrence of targeted therapy resistance and what might have caused it. As we continue to better understand how to use these tests, they may become more routine parts of lung cancer care.  

Adding AI to lung cancer care

A commonly discussed theme throughout the 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer was how AI can supplement and support the patient and provider experience. While AI won't replace our physicians, it's a tool that can help clinicians in dictating notes or analyzing records and reports for key phrases or results. Large AI models are also being trained and trialed for their use in reviewing diagnostic scans (such as CTs) to help identify areas of concern that potentially cannot be seen by the naked eye. There's even the potential that AI can help scientists to create new lung cancer treatments by identifying new molecular formulas to treat specific mutations or target certain cells.

This is only a small sample of the exciting research presented at the conference. If you are interested in finding out more about what research studies are relevant to your particular situation and what questions you may want to ask your treatment teams about current research, contact one of our LungMATCH Navigators by calling 1-800-298-2436 or by emailing support@go2.org.

On October 2, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Zepzelca (lurbinectedin) in combination with Tecentriq (atezolizumab) or Tecentriq Hybreza (atezolizumab and hyaluronidase-tqjs) as maintenance therapy for adult patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) whose disease has not progressed after initial first-line treatment with Tecentriq (atezolizumab), Tecentriq Hybreza (atezolizumab and hyaluronidase-tqjs), carboplatin, and etoposide. Tecentriq Hybreza (atezolizumab and hyaluronidase-tqjs) is the subcutaneous form of Tecentriq (atezolizumab) and is given by a shot (injection) under the skin.

This latest approval is based on the results of the IMforte study, which compared the use of Zepzelca (lurbinectedin) in combination with Tecentriq (atezolizumab) versus Tecentriq (atezolizumab) alone in individuals with ES-SCLC whose disease has not progressed after initial first-line treatment with Tecentriq (atezolizumab), carboplatin, and etoposide. The study found that people with ES-SCLC who received Zepzelca (lurbinectedin) together with Tecentriq (atezolizumab) remained on treatment longer before their cancer worsened, and lived longer overall, compared to those who received Tecentriq (atezolizumab) alone. This new combination shows promise as a treatment with prolonged benefit for people who responded well to initial treatment.

All of the treatments mentioned have been previously approved for use as first-line treatment in ES-SCLC, however, this most recent approval represents a new combination treatment for people with the diagnosis.  

Please speak with your healthcare team for more information about this treatment combination and to see if it may be a good option for you. If you have questions about treatment, trials, or biomarker testing, contact our LungMATCH team at support@go2.org or 1-800-298-2436.   

Read the full FDA announcement.