Recent developments in lung cancer screening and treatment have shifted the outlook for patients, with experts now describing the disease as treatable and survivable for many. The Journal of the American College of Radiology, in partnership with Elsevier and the American Cancer Society National Lung Cancer Roundtable (ACS NLCRT), has released a special issue that examines these changes and highlights radiology’s evolving role in patient care.
Lung cancer remains the most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States, accounting for more fatalities each year than the next two leading causes combined among both men and women. In 2025, an estimated 226,650 new cases were diagnosed, resulting in 124,730 deaths.
The special issue discusses how lung cancer care is moving beyond simply counting scans to measuring impact across all stages of care. It outlines four main principles that define this transformation in screening and treatment.
Articles within the issue address topics such as eligibility requirements for screening—including efforts to engage more women by leveraging high mammography participation—community-based interventions, state-level policy strategies to increase uptake, potential harms like "scanxiety," radiation dose management, and ongoing challenges such as system operability, rural collaboration across specialties, and cannabis use among those screened.
Ashley Prosper, MD, Co-Guest Editor from UCLA’s Department of Radiological Sciences, stated: "Clinical trials and reports from real-world screening programs have confirmed that lung cancer screening is a worthwhile endeavor with the potential to significantly improve lung cancer outcomes. Maximizing this positive impact requires a combination of strategic multidisciplinary partnerships, effective communication, and informatics tools-closing data gaps between radiology, primary care, and oncology, which are foundational to timely diagnosis, appropriate follow-up, and equitable outcomes."
Julie Barta, MD, Co-Guest Editor at Thomas Jefferson University’s Jane and Leonard Korman Respiratory Institute noted: "Although we know that lung cancer screening improves early detection and reduces lung cancer mortality, there is still much work to do in understanding how we identify high-risk patients for screening and deliver high-quality care."
Contributors stress that overcoming stigma associated with lung cancer is essential. Ella A. Kazerooni, MD, MS—Chair of ACS NLCRT—said: "Lung cancer is treatable and survivable. Everyone and every patient deserve to know that. Radiologists and their teams are an integral part of the medical community and, together with our primary care clinicians and specialty colleagues, we can help to increase knowledge and awareness of what is possible and replace nihilism and stigma with empathy and hope for patients and their families."
Dr. Carter-Bawa concluded: "The question is no longer whether lung cancer screening saves lives-it does- but how we ensure that its benefits are realized broadly, equitably, and with dignity. Radiology is uniquely positioned to lead this charge."
