Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women, yet it remains misunderstood, underfunded, and stigmatized. It’s time to rewrite that narrative.
Laurie Ambrose
President and CEO, GO2 for Lung Cancer
When someone tells you they have cancer, what’s your first reaction? Sympathy? Worry? A silent prayer? If they say it’s lung cancer, do you also wonder if they have a smoking history?
Lung cancer is the only cancer for which people are still blamed for being sick. That stigma is dangerous and deadly.
Here’s the truth: most women diagnosed with lung cancer today are not current smokers. In fact, over 80% are either former smokers or have never smoked a day in their lives. Still, lung cancer remains one of the least funded, least understood, and most overlooked diseases in America, especially when it comes to women.
Let’s change that.
The deadly cost of stigma
At GO2 for Lung Cancer, we’ve been raising the alarm for years. Most people don’t realize that lung cancer causes more deaths for women every year than breast and ovarian cancers combined. Yet, we still treat it like a man’s disease or a smoker’s disease — or worse, a self-inflicted one.
That’s costing women their lives.
We now know that lung cancer behaves differently in women than it does in men. It can show up earlier, grow differently, and respond to treatment in unique ways. These sex- and gender-based differences could hold the key to earlier detection, better treatments, and, most importantly, more lives saved.
Furthermore, decades of stigma have resulted in lung cancer receiving the lowest research funding among major cancers impacting women. It’s time to end the blame, bridge the gap, and invest in life-saving solutions. That’s why we’re calling on Congress to increase federal funding by 25% (adding to the $220.5 million secured to date) and pass the Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act of 2025, which is first-time comprehensive legislation to reduce the impact on women.
Saving women’s lives
This isn’t just about science, it’s about survival.
When a woman is diagnosed with lung cancer, the impact ripples through her family, her job, and her community. Women make 80% of healthcare decisions in this country. They hold 60% of the personal wealth. They drive 85% of consumer spending. When we invest in women’s health, everyone benefits.
The economic case is clear, too. A RAND Corporation study shows that even modest improvements in how we detect, treat, and manage lung cancer in women could add 22,000 years of life over 30 years. That’s $45 million in labor productivity alone — and countless moments with family that no paycheck can replace.
Being No. 1 isn’t always something to be proud of. Lung cancer is the No. 1 cause of cancer death for women, but it doesn’t have to be.
We can change the story. We can fund the research. We can end the stigma. We can save lives.
Let’s get to work.
