Lung cancers can use two different mechanisms to evade KRAS-inhibiting drugs
“MIT researchers have found that lung tumor cells can become resistant to KRAS inhibitors by undergoing a transformation from adenocarcinoma to squamous cell carcinoma.”
Scientists just found a way to fight lung cancer and muscle wasting at the same time
“A new nanoparticle therapy reduced lung tumors in mice while also targeting cachexia, the severe muscle wasting that can accompany cancer. By delivering follistatin mRNA directly to tumors, the approach could eventually offer a way to fight both the disease and one of its most dangerous complications.”
Annual Report to the Nation: Progress Against Lung Cancer Drives Down Cancer Mortality
“Cancer death rates fell for both men and women from 2019 to 2023, continuing a downward trend that has lasted more than 20 years, according to the 2026 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, published by Henley et al in the journal Cancer. The continued decline in cancer deaths is driven largely by accelerated progress against lung cancer.”
New clinical trial targeting immunotherapy resistance in lung cancer and melanoma treats first patient
“The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust have begun a clinical trial of an innovative new drug – through a new partnership between our Drug Development Unit-Investigator Initiated Trials (DDU-IIT) Team and the Finnish biotech company Faron Pharmaceuticals. The drug, called bexmarilimab, could help reverse resistance to immunotherapy in lung cancer and melanoma skin cancer.”
Rush to Crush Cancer Awards Grant to Reduce Lung Cancer Risk Through Radon Mitigation in Pittsburgh’s Hill District
“PITTSBURGH – UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and Rush to Crush Cancer have awarded a $40,000 Community Mitigation Grant to Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction (CR3) to support radon mitigation efforts in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, a neighborhood where elevated levels of the cancer-causing gas were discovered in residential homes.”
Gene Mutation Identified That Increases Lung Cancer Risk
“Risk exceeds that conferred by smoking and is higher in never smokers, with odds ratio of 61.70.”
FDA Grants Fast Track Designation to TRE-515 Plus KRAS Inhibitors in Pretreated KRAS G12C+ NSCLC
“Key Takeaways: Fast track supports development of TRE-515 combinations in post–PD-(L)1, post-platinum KRAS G12C NSCLC where resistance and incomplete responses to KRAS inhibitors remain prevalent. TRE-515 inhibits dCK, the rate-limiting enzyme of nucleoside salvage, exploiting cancer cells’ heightened replication stress and susceptibility to nucleotide metabolic perturbation.”
Could Blood Metabolites Reveal How Air Pollution Contributes to Lung Cancer?
“An analysis of 1,357 participants identified circulating metabolites that may help explain how long-term air pollution exposure contributes to lung cancer development.”
UCLA research team awarded $1 million to develop new approach for detecting lung cancer
“A multidisciplinary UCLA research team has received the inaugural Early Detection Award from the LUNGevity Foundation and the Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research. The $1 million award will support the development of a noninvasive approach to determine whether indeterminate pulmonary nodules, or small spots found on lung CT scans, are cancerous.”
Markers find lung cancer risk 10 years before diagnosis
“Genetic markers in the blood that can signal lung cancer risk up to 10 years before a person is diagnosed were discovered by University of Hawaiʻi researchers. The set of 31 tiny markers, called small non-coding RNAs, could eventually help identify people at higher risk while cancer remains clinically undetected.”
Using Tumor Genetics To Better Understand Lung Cancer Recurrence
“Key Takeaways: Moffitt Cancer Center study examined tumor genetics to better understand why lung cancer returns after treatment. Researchers identified 68 gene mutations linked to cancer recurrence. Genetic findings could guide targeted treatments and closer follow-up.”
Ai Identified Lung Cancer Patients With Severe Inflammation Risks
“RT’s Three Key Takeaways: Early Risk Detection: An artificial intelligence foundation model accurately identifies lung cancer patients at heightened risk of immunotherapy-induced pneumonitis by analyzing standard pretreatment chest computed tomography scans. Superior Predictive Accuracy: The model achieved an area under the curve of approximately 0.83 in both internal and external cohorts, outperforming conventional clinical-factor and imaging approaches. Clinical Monitoring Implications: Patients identified as high risk developed lung inflammation sooner after initiating therapy, providing respiratory and oncology teams with an objective pathway for personalized surveillance and intervention strategies.”
Dietary supplement may influence lung tumor growth differently in females and males
“A study led by researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that a dietary form of a naturally occurring molecule called calcium alpha-ketoglutarate, or Ca-αKG, reduced lung tumor growth in female mice and activated genes associated with better outcomes in women with lung cancer. The researchers also found that Ca-αKG had the opposite effect in male mice, where it was associated with larger tumors and increased tumor-cell proliferation.”
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Extended Survival Raises New Questions on Imaging and Treatment Intensification in ROS1+ NSCLC
“As patients with ROS1-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stay on tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for years, Jorge Nieva, MD, says the long-term data do not change how disease is monitored. Progression can occur at any time with any cancer, so surveillance remains essential. What is changing is how patients think about it. ROS1-positive NSCLC is a disease of young people, and as survival is measured in years rather than months, concerns about radiation exposure from repeated scans are growing.”
