Research & Funding

Every advance in cancer care, from early detection to new drugs, begins with research. Researchers test new ideas in their labs, and the most promising ideas are brought to clinical trials. This pipeline of research fuels new methods to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. It is imperative that we continue to support the early research that will lead to improvements in care for lung cancer patients and help save lives.

 

The Lung Cancer Research Funding Gap

The US government is the largest funder of biomedical research in the world. Though lung cancer is by far the nation’s biggest cancer killer, it lags far behind other cancers in designated research dollars. For example, in 2010, breast cancer received over $19,000 per cancer death in government funds for research, while lung cancer only received $1,800 per death in research dollars. Lung cancer also receives a fraction of the dollars spent on tobacco, smoking and health research, though the fact is that over 40% of lung cancer patients have already quit smoking at diagnosis, and an additional 10-15% never smoked at all.

Funding from advocacy and research organizations, like those affiliated with LungCAN, provides much needed support that will propel lung cancer research toward better care, improved survival, and a cure for lung cancer patients.

The following LungCAN members fund peer-reviewed research. Research funding varies from organization to organization. Some have advisory boards that oversee a peer-review process, some partner with other organizations, and some fund lung cancer research networks or research at local institutions. Please visit the member websites to access research funding information.