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.