On October 2, 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of the combination treatment of lurbinectedin ( Zepzelca ®) plus atezolizumab ( Tecentriq ®) as the first maintenance (ongoing) therapy for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). This approval is for patients who are currently benefiting from initial treatments, such as atezolizumab or atezolizumab plus chemotherapy. Atezolizumab is an immunotherapy that blocks the PD-L1 protein on cancer cells. This allows the immune system to target and kill the cancer. Atezolizumab can be

In this Facebook Live from September 30, Sonam Puri, MD, Department of Thoracic Oncology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses the importance of real-world data for treating small cell lung cancer. Moderated by Misty Shields, MD, PhD, IU Health, and LUNGevity’s Ann Fish-Steagall, RN, BSN, SVP of Patient Services and Health Care Delivery, the monthly Small Cell SMASHERS series highlights the latest discoveries and breakthroughs for SCLC.

Michelle knew what was wrong. She knew the headaches, regular vomiting, ear popping, and “whooshing” sounds in her head were all signs of leptomeningeal disease (LMD). The issue, however, is that LMD is so rare—only diagnosed in 5% of people with cancer—she had to advocate for the testing to prove it. “I called my clinic and said I needed a brain MRI because I think I have LMD. They didn’t want to schedule one, so I said, tell my doctor I’m demanding a brain MRI. I can tell him directly if I need to,” says Michelle. Leptomeningeal disease, or LMD, occurs when cancer from somewhere in the body

What Is Integrative Oncology? Integrative oncology is the use of complementary therapies alongside conventional lung cancer treatments like chemotherapy, targeted therapy, surgery, or immunotherapy. Integrative oncology—also called integrative medicine—is an evidence-informed whole-body approach to health. It is often used to address symptoms and side effects caused by disease or treatment and improve overall quality of life. Specific examples of integrative oncology for lung cancer include: Acupuncture or massages to address pain or nausea Exercise to reduce pain and improve overall quality

On Friday, March 14, Christopher Kniese, MD, of IU Health, discussed the role of pulmonologists in SCLC, why the right diagnosis is key, logistics and importance of a bronchoscopy/biopsy, pulmonary rehab, and other topics. Moderated by Misty Shields, MD, IU Health, and LUNGevity’s Ann Fish-Steagall, SVP of Patient Services and Health Care Delivery, this monthly virtual series highlights the latest discoveries and breakthroughs in SCLC.

On Friday, February 28, Drs. and Rekhtman of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center joined us on Facebook Live to discuss the role of pathologists in SCLC, why the right diagnosis is key, and the logistics and importance of biopsies. They explained forms of SCLC such as atypical, transformed, and RB proficient. Moderated by Misty Shields, MD, PhD, IU Health, and LUNGevity’s Ann Fish-Steagall, SVP of Patient Services and Health Care Delivery, this monthly virtual series highlights the latest discoveries and breakthroughs in small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Mya Tran, PharmD, BCOP, joined us in January to discuss what people should expect during treatment for small cell lung cancer (SCLC), managing side effects related to SCLC therapy, as well as the importance of genomics and its role in molecularly informed clinical trials for SCLC. Moderated by Dr. Misty Shields, IU Health, and LUNGevity’s Ann Fish-Steagall, SVP of Patient Services and Health Care Delivery, this monthly virtual series highlights the latest discoveries and breakthroughs in SCLC.

Read time: 2 minutes. Researchers have been trying to find new ways to treat small cell lung cancer (SCLC) for a long time. Those efforts are starting to pay off in big ways. Join Stephen Liu, MD, of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Amy Moore, PhD, of LUNGevity Foundation, as they walk us through the treatment options for SCLC, including exciting breakthroughs on the horizon. This video was part of LUNGevity’s International Lung Cancer Survivorship Conference (ILCSC)—a free, virtual conference for people with lung cancer and their loved ones—in September 2024. Since

Read time: 2 minutes. Here we present the final video in our three-part series about how patients and researchers can work together to develop clinical trials. In the video below, LUNGevity again partnered with Rising Tide for Clinical Cancer Research to illustrate the power of having patients contribute to the research process. We use a real-world example to learn about patient-researcher collaborations through the POSITIVE study, a breast cancer-focused clinical trial. You can watch the entire video, or use the timestamps below. Make sure to watch parts 1 and 2 of this series here: How Can

Read time: 2 minutes. We are pleased to continue our three-part series about how patients and researchers can work together to develop clinical trials. In this second video, LUNGevity again partnered with Rising Tide for Clinical Cancer Research to show how researchers and patient advocates can be empowered with tools to create clinical trials that resonate with patients and address the key issues they care about. If you missed the first video, How Can Patients and Researchers Design Clinical Trials Together, you can watch it here. Watch Part 2 below, or use the timestamps to skip to a