More than 230,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer each year—and lung cancer claims more lives annually than colorectal, pancreatic, breast, or prostate cancer. It is the leading cause of cancer death but receives the least amount of federal research funding.
Raising lung cancer awareness is critical to building public support for more funding for research, early detection, and education to improve outcomes and survivorship. While lung cancer awareness happens all year round, the lung cancer community comes together each November for Lung Cancer Awareness Month, shining a light on lung cancer and our relentless quest for a cure.
Lung Cancer Awareness Month: The history and significance
On November 14, 1998, the Alliance for Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support and Education (ALCASE), an early predecessor to GO2 for Lung Cancer, launched the first Lung Cancer Awareness Day in the United States. Two years later, in November 2000, ALCASE expanded the annual effort, and the first LungCancer Awareness Month (LCAM) was launched nationally to further galvanize the community to take action and increase awareness and support for the disease.
Today,Lung Cancer Awareness Month offers a critical opportunity for people with lung cancer, caregivers, families, healthcare professionals, and other advocates to come together in our efforts to spotlight the disease and those impacted. Together, we build public awareness, challenge stigma, raise critical dollars for research and care, and promote the importance of screening, testing, and personalized treatment.
How to participate in lung cancer awareness
If you are looking for ways to raise awareness, options range from participating in local walk/runs to hosting fundraisers that raise funds and advance our mission of increasing survival for those at risk, diagnosed, and living with lung cancer. You can also attend the Lung Cancer Voices Summit and share your story on Capitol Hill to advocate for increased federal research funding—or share your story via the Lung Cancer Registry to advance research and achieve better outcomes for all. There are also opportunities to participate in educational events during Lung Cancer Awareness Month and throughout the year to emphasize that lung cancer is personal and public support is critical.
Even the simplest of actions can make an impact in confronting lung cancer on every front, every day for everyone.
Raise awareness on social media
Talking about lung cancer with your personal networks helps drive awareness and change for the community. Share your story on social media with your family, friends, and colleagues. Tag GO2 for Lung Cancer in your posts with the account listed below so we can share your story, too.
Sharing content on social media is a quick and impactful way to raise awareness. To make it as easy as possible, we’ve created pre-written posts designed to amplify your voice and highlight key advocacy priorities. Learn more by checking out our social media toolkit.
The impact of increased awareness
Galvanizing public support for a cause almost always leads to change—and increased lung cancer awareness has led to advances in research, from early detection to treatment options and personalized care. The impact of lung cancer awareness can be seen in the over $250 million to date appropriated by Congress for federal research funding for lung cancer. It can be seen in policy changes, including securing coverage for lung cancer screening that saves lives and has led to the proliferation of lung cancer Centers of Excellence in Screening across the United States. It can be seen in research that in 2023 found, for the first time, that there is an inherited risk for lung cancer—an important building block in our quest to unlock the genetic origins of the disease.
Lung cancer awareness makes a measurable difference—and you can make a difference when you spread the word. Whether you’re donating money to fund research or patient care services, sharing lung cancer facts and figures, participating in an educational or community event, telling your lung cancer story, or demanding that Congress do more, when you spread awareness about lung cancer you are helping the lung cancer community confront lung cancer, improve outcomes, and increase survivorship.
