Question: When I tell people I have lung cancer, they often make a comment about smoking or ask me if I have a smoking history. Why does that happen?

Answer: Despite our best efforts, there is still a stigma around lung cancer. This stigma started because of the link between lung cancer and smoking, even though most people diagnosed today no longer smoke or never did.

The kinds of comments and statements you have been hearing can feel like you are being blamed for having lung cancer. People with a smoking history can be made to feel like they have caused their disease, even though there are many other risk factors for lung cancer.

Stigma can be openly expressed, like the questions and comments you might hear when you talk about your diagnosis. It can also be “felt,” and not said with words but shown in ways that can make you feel like you would get more compassion if you had a different type of cancer or another disease.

These comments and feelings can be surprising and hurtful, and can come from strangers, loved ones, and even medical professionals.

Lung cancer stigma is unfair to everyone who has been touched by lung cancer, particularly those who have been diagnosed. Research shows that stigma can have serious consequences for people with the disease, including making them delay or refuse treatment, experience depression, hide their diagnosis, or isolate themselves. This isolation may prevent them from seeking the emotional support that could be helpful for their well-being.

How to manage and challenge lung cancer stigma

The misunderstanding about the link between tobacco use and lung cancer is decades old, and changing ideas in society can take time. But we can all be part of the solution. Everything GO2 for Lung Cancer does—from our compassionate support services and reader-friendly educational materials to our public health advocacy efforts—works to confront stigma.

We asked lung cancer survivors how they manage lung cancer stigma in their lives. They offered the following tips:

  • Educate people. Empower yourself by learning the facts about lung cancer so you can help others understand how complex the disease really is.
  • Explain how comments make you feel and remind others that lung cancer deserves the same understanding and compassion as other cancers and diseases.
  • Share your story. Give a face to lung cancer by letting others know that it affects a wide range of people including people with a smoking history and those without. Mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, people of all ages, races, religions, and economic statuses can have lung cancer.
  • Connect with others who can relate. Call GO2’s HelpLine at 1-800-298-2436 or email support@go2.org to learn more about our programs, including:
    • Phone Buddy, a peer-to-peer support program for people with lung cancer
    • Gathering HOPE, a casual social group open to anyone diagnosed with lung cancer and their caregivers
    • Lung Cancer Living Room, a monthly in-person and livestreamed event to educate and connect members of the lung cancer community
  • Advocate for change. History has shown that stigmas can be reversed. Join our efforts to connect with your elected officials to let them know what is important to the lung cancer community.

Finally, the decisions you make about your lung cancer care are likely some of the most important you’ll ever have to make. If it feels like someone on your healthcare team has negative thoughts or feelings about lung cancer, consider switching practices or centers.