Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in American men and women, accounting for 28 percent of all cancer deaths expected to occur in 2009. It is estimated that in 2009, lung cancer will represent 15 percent of new cancer diagnoses—about 219,440 new cases of lung cancer (116,090 among men and 103,350 among women).* Lung cancer is classified as either non-small cell, which accounts for 85 percent of all lung cancer diagnoses, or small cell, accounting for the remaining 14 percent.* Risk factors for the disease include cigarette smoking; second-hand smoke; air pollution; tuberculosis; treatment with radiation therapy; and exposure to radon, asbestos, chromium, cadmium, arsenic, soot, tar, and some chemicals.

Treatment options for lung cancer may vary depending on the type (small cell vs. non-small cell), stage of the disease, whether the cancer is newly diagnosed or recurrent, and other medical conditions, and should be discussed with the patient's physician.

*American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures 2009. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2009

Lung Cancer Clinical Trials

The Center for Cancer Research (CCR), NCI's largest division doing research on campus, conducts lung cancer clinical trials at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md. NCI accepts referrals to lung cancer clinical trials conducted in Bethesda, Md., through its Clinical Trials Referral Office (formerly the Clinical Studies Support Center) at 1-888-NCI-1937 (1-888-624-1937).

NCI is currently conducting the following trials for patients with lung cancer. Click on the trials below for additional details, including a summary of eligibility criteria, study outline, and information on how to contact the principal investigators and their staff directly.