100 lives saved from lung cancer every day

Almost 668,000 lung cancer deaths have been avoided since the 1970s, according to our latest analysis.*  

The findings reflect just how much improvements in how we prevent, diagnose and treat lung cancer have done to push lung cancer mortality rates down from their peak levels.

If the proportions of men and women dying from lung cancer were still at their highs, around 36,600 more people in the UK would die from the disease each year. The change is equivalent to saving 100 lives – more people than can squeeze into a double-decker bus – every day.**

We’ve been right at the heart of that progress, and we’re pushing for more.

Today, more than 8 in 10 people treated with lung cancer drugs on the NHS receive a drug linked to our work. In the last 10 years alone, we’ve invested over £231 million into researching the disease, powering projects like TRACERx, which helped identify new techniques to detect lung cancer at an early stage, and LungVax, which could lead to the world’s first lung cancer prevention vaccine. 

“Over recent decades, we’ve made huge gains in our understanding of hard-to-treat cancers like lung cancer,” said Michelle Mitchell, our chief executive. “Thanks to the power of research, we’re making crucial breakthroughs and transforming lives.” 

Stopping smoking and preventing lung cancer

Some of that research stretches all the way back to the 1950s, when we began funding the first (50-year) study to prove that smoking causes lung cancer. Since then, our supporters and campaigners have helped us drive down smoking rates and make sure governments keep acting to restrict and regulate tobacco.  

That work has made an incredible difference, but there’s more to do. Tobacco is still the biggest cause of lung cancers in the UK. It also has a disproportionate effect on people in more deprived areas. Finally, 70 years on from the start of our journey, Parliament is considering a change to the law that could prevent future generations from ever starting smoking in the first place. We’re on the cusp of the biggest breakthrough yet. 

“Preventing lung cancer, as well as stopping the disease in its tracks, will give people more precious moments with their loved ones,” said Mitchell. “The recently tabled Tobacco and Vapes Bill puts us on the path to ending lung cancers caused by smoking in the UK. We urge MPs across all political parties to vote in favour of this historic legislation that will help to create a future free from the harms of tobacco.” 

Our research is also uncovering opportunities to prevent cases that aren’t caused by smoking. TRACERx, the ‘flagship’ lung cancer research programme we launched in 2014, found that, in some cases, air pollution can cause changes in the lungs that can lead to cancer. TRACERx EVO is now digging deeper into how and why this happens, which could help us find ways to save even more lives in the years to come. 

Saving lives through earlier diagnosis

Because it’s not always possible to prevent lung cancer, we’re also focusing on diagnosing it earlier, which can have a profound effect on treatment and survival.  

Data from England shows that almost 65 out of every 100 people diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer will survive the disease for five years or more. That number falls as cancers grow in the lung and surrounding areas in stages 2 and 3 and spread to other organs in stage 4. Only around 5 out of 100 people diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer will survive it for at least five years.  

But diagnosing lung cancer early can be a challenge. The disease doesn’t always cause symptoms in its early stages. Even when it does, those symptoms can point to lots of different conditions.  

That’s why we’re funding research into new ways of diagnosing lung cancer using technologies like AI and blood tests that can detect tumour DNA, which we helped pioneer as part of TRACERx. 

Meanwhile, in some parts of the UK, a new targeted lung screening programme has already started making a difference. 

NHS England began piloting lung health checks in areas with the highest rates of lung cancer in 2019. These lung scans, which are offered to 55 to 74-year-olds who currently or have previously smoked, have now found more than 5,000 cancers. Encouragingly, NHS England reports that more than 3 out of every 4 people diagnosed after taking part in lung screening had stage 1 or stage 2 disease, meaning doctors had a much better chance of treating them successfully.

Our Lung Screen Uptake Trial helped lay the groundwork for the pilot lung health checks. It also provided some of the key evidence that led the UK National Screening Committee to recommend a full rollout of lung screening across the UK in 2022. Now we’re encouraging the entire country to follow that guidance as quickly and effectively as possible to ensure everyone who is eligible can benefit from potentially these life-saving tests. 

“Detecting lung cancer sooner will drastically increase your chances of successful treatment,” said Professor Charles Swanton, our chief clinician and the lead researcher for TRACERx. “That’s why we need to roll out targeted lung screening programmes across all four UK nations and invest in early detection methods.”

“It’s vital to back research that will accelerate the discovery of more effective diagnostic tools and kinder treatments. The future of lung cancer research shows great promise and is one that I am personally excited to witness.”