Americans Know Little about the Leading Cause of Cancer Death

National survey exposes deadly gaps in cancer awareness

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Lung cancer kills more Americans each year than any other cancer — yet most Americans are uninformed about this disease. A new national survey commissioned by the Lung Cancer Action Network (LungCAN) shows that after seven years of expanded screening guidelines and major scientific advances, public understanding of lung cancer has not meaningfully improved.

The survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, conducted in October 2025 by the High Point University Survey Research Center, mirrors the findings of a nearly identical national survey conducted in 2018. The results show that without clear, consistent public education, lifesaving information never reaches the people who need it most.

"We took America's pulse in 2018 and sounded the alarm," said Dusty Donaldson, president of LungCAN and a 20‑year lung cancer survivor. "Seven years later, the same dangerous myths remain. This is about a failure to tell people what could save their lives."

Based on results of the recent survey:

• Only 6% of Americans correctly identified lung cancer as the leading cancer killer of women; only 13% identified it as the leading cancer killer of men — unchanged since 2018.
  
  
• Nearly half of Americans never heard of lung cancer screening.
  
  
• Only 45% correctly identified a CT scan as the screening test that can detect lung cancer early; one in four still believe an X‑ray is used.
  
  
• Just 13% knew that radon — a colorless, odorless gas found in homes — is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
  
  
• Only 11% knew that individuals who formerly smoked may qualify for lung cancer screening up to 15 years after quitting.

The survey indicates that people support screening, but they don't even know it exists.

"In other words, most Americans surveyed believe lung cancer screening should be done for people at risk — yet many are unaware that screening does exist, and they don't know how it's done, or who qualifies," explained Donaldson.

Stigma Hasn't Disappeared — It's Still Measurable

• One‑third of Americans agree at some level that lung cancer is "probably the patient's fault."
  
  
• Six in ten automatically associate lung cancer with death.
  
  
• More than one in four believe there's little that can be done after diagnosis.

"Our findings show that Americans extend compassion to people with lung cancer, but they often lack accurate and up-to-date information about the disease," said Jamie L. Studts, PhD, Scientific Director of Behavioral Oncology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine–Medical Oncology. "When compassion isn't paired with knowledge, stigma persists, and people are less likely to seek screening or timely care that are vital to surviving lung cancer."

Annual low‑dose CT screening can reduce lung cancer deaths by 20 percent. Yet lung cancer remains the least screened of all major cancers — not because people oppose screening, but because they are never clearly told who qualifies, how it works, or why it matters.

"These results confirm what patients and clinicians see every day," Donaldson said. "Lung cancer is being left out of the public health conversation — and people are paying for that omission with their lives. These gaps demonstrate that public understanding of lung cancer is frozen in an outdated narrative that underestimates both its deadly toll and the progress science has made." The clinical narrative has changed with an infusion of science and hope, but public awareness of the substantial advances in lung cancer risk reduction, early detection, treatment, and survivorship remains dangerously outdated.

The New Truth About Lung Cancer: Progress Is Real

Over the past two decades, the lung cancer survival rate has nearly doubled — rising from approximately 15 percent to more than 28 percent today. This progress is not the result of wishful thinking. It is the result of science.

Breakthroughs in immunotherapy, targeted therapies guided by biomarker testing, earlier detection through low‑dose CT screening, and major advances in radiation and surgery are transforming outcomes for many patients.

"Lung cancer is still the leading cancer killer, but it is no longer the hopeless diagnosis many Americans still imagine," Donaldson said. "People are living longer. Survivors are working, raising families, and planning futures. Hope is no longer theoretical — it is measurable."

The tragedy is that public awareness has not kept pace with scientific progress. Outdated beliefs continue to delay screening, reinforce stigma and fatalism, and cost lives that could be saved with earlier detection and modern treatment.

Call for a National Public Service Campaign

LungCAN is calling for a federally coordinated, sustained public service announcement campaign — one that treats lung cancer with the same urgency and visibility as other leading causes of cancer death.

A national campaign must clearly communicate the following:

• Who qualifies for lung cancer screening
• Screening uses a low‑dose CT scan — not an X‑ray
• The role of radon in lung cancer risk
• Early detection saves lives
• Lung cancer is no longer a death sentence
• Compassion and access to care should not depend on smoking history

"Awareness months and fragmented messaging are not enough," Donaldson said. "If we can run national campaigns for seat belts, stroke symptoms, and breast cancer screening, we can — and must — do the same for lung cancer."

About the Lung Cancer Action Network

The Lung Cancer Action Network (LungCAN) is an association of U.S.‑based lung cancer nonprofit organizations and patient advocacy groups working together to advance education, early detection, research, and compassionate care for people impacted by lung cancer. For more information, visit LungCAN.org.

Survey Methodology and Data

The national survey was commissioned by the Lung Cancer Action Network and conducted by the High Point University Survey Research Center. Survey design and analysis were led by Martin J. Kifer, PhD, Executive Director of the Survey Research Center, in collaboration with Jamie L. Studts, PhD, a nationally recognized expert in lung cancer screening, survivorship, and stigma. Additional details about the survey methodology are available at https://www.highpoint.edu/src/files/2023/08/LungCANmemo2025v2.pdf. (Also, results from the previous survey done in 2018 are available at https://www.highpoint.edu/src/files/2018/11/MemoLungCAN.pdf.)

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SOURCE Lung Cancer Action Network (LungCAN)