Treatment options for people diagnosed or living with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) are constantly improving and expanding. In fact, there are more drugs in development right now than were developed in total over the last 50 years. Investments in SCLC are finally paying off, as new therapies represent hope for people living with the disease.   Dr. Jared Weiss from the University of North Caroline joined GO2’s March 2024 Lung Cancer Living Room to share the breadth of currently approved treatments for SCLC, the importance of palliative/supportive care while being treated for SCLC, a ..read more

Question: I have a family history of lung cancer – both my mother and grandmother were diagnosed with the disease. Am I at greater risk for lung cancer because of genetics?     The role of genetics in determining someone’s lung cancer risk is not fully understood. While most cases of lung cancer are not related to inherited genetic risk, recent research showed that approximately 8-15% of the people who receive a lung cancer diagnosis carry hereditary mutations that are known to increase cancer risk. Genetic risk is most likely to play a role in lung cancer for people who are young, femal ..read more

Author: Matthew Reiss, MSE, PhD, Manager, Precision Medicine & Navigation, GO2 for Lung Cancer  On April 18, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Alecensa (alectinib) following surgical resection for people living with early-stage ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).  The approval is based on results from the ALINA study (NCT03456076). Participants with stage 1B (IB) to 3A (IIIA), ALK-positive NSCLC received 600 mg of Alecensa (alectinib) twice daily after surgery to remove the cancer. People treated with Alecensa (alectinib) had a meaningful red ..read more

Clinical Trial Aims to Unlock the Origins of Lung Cancer   WASHINGTON and BOSTON, April 17, 2024 – In a promising step forward, GO2 for Lung Cancer (GO2), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Dana-Farber), and the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI), GO2’s medical research consortium, announced a major expansion of landmark research studying genetic risk for developing lung cancer.  The ORIGINS INITIATIVE is GO2’s multi-year, multi-million-dollar endeavor seeking to uncover the underlying causes of inherited risk of lung cancer. This research platform builds upon earlier nov ..read more

Brings background in data, AI, and analytics to help guide research collaboration and improved patient outcomes  WASHINGTON, April 15, 2024 —  GO2 for Lung Cancer (GO2) announced that the organization elected Fern Halper, Ph.D. to its board of directors. Halper is vice president and senior director of TDWI Research for advanced analytics. She has more than 20 years of experience in data analysis, predictive modeling, business analytics, and strategy development. Halper specializes in the technology areas of business intelligence, machine learning, AI, cloud computing, and data ..read more

David lives in Arlington, VA, with his wife, Lisa, son, Ethan (6), and daughter, Liv (3). He is a passionate supporter of the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Capitals, Baltimore Orioles, and Penn Men’s Lacrosse, of which he was captain in 2007. He and his wife are in the process of formalizing The Sweat for Breath Foundation to improve the lives of those impacted by ALK positive lung cancer, like himself.  My diagnosis  Lung cancer was never on my radar. I’m young; still in my 30s. As a former Division One athlete, I’ve been active all my life and have remained active through sports an ..read more

We are excited to welcome the White Ribbon Project as a 2024 5K walk/run partner. Representatives from the White Ribbon Project will be on-site at our 5Ks to share their important mission and distribute white ribbons to community members who would like to help raise awareness about the disease. We started our partnership at the Dallas 5K on March 30 and welcomed the White Ribbon Project to our 5K in Sacramento on April 6.   The White Ribbon Project is a national nonprofit organization that promotes awareness about lung cancer by changing public perception of the disease. People with a c ..read more

Question: My daughter was just diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 35. Her doctor told us that many young women are now getting lung cancer. Why is this?  (Answered by Dr. Narjust Florez from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute during her appearance at the February 2024 Lung Cancer Living Room. It has been edited slightly for this use.)  Answer: Since 2018, for the first time in history younger women (roughly between the ages of 35 and 54) are getting more lung cancer than younger men, despite the perception that it is a disease that mostly effects men. This phenomenon is not only ..read more

Congratulations to our 2024 Lung Cancer Support Group Facilitator award recipient, Christine Conti, from Huntington Health in Pasadena, California. This award, given annually since 2009, recognizes the uncommon dedication of support group facilitators. Christine Conti, RN, ONN-CG, is a thoracic nurse navigator who has been Huntington Health’s lung cancer support group facilitator for 12 years. During the pandemic, Christine’s group grew when it went virtual, and in response to a growing demand for support during those uncertain times, Christine also increased the frequency of meetings. When ch ..read more

Author: Meg Fay, BSN, RN, Nurse Manager, Excellence in Healthcare Delivery, GO2 for Lung Cancer My name is Meg, and I had the pleasure of experiencing the NYC Marathon 2024 as part of the GO2 Endurance Team. Coach Seth guided our team, offering multiple training programs that we could tailor to our individual needs and training webinars on everything from nutrition to injury prevention and beyond. We could follow along with our programs on the Final Surge app, which was fantastic and easy to use. We also had access to a private Facebook group, connecting us to others training ..read more