Jill Feldman, Co-Founder at EGFR Resisters, shared on LinkedIn:
“Different headlines. Different decades. Same conversation.
This is especially important during Lung Cancer Awareness Month, when there is more conversation around lung cancer.
Last week, I questioned whether the way we’re raising lung cancer awareness is actually reinforcing the misconceptions we’re trying to change.
So I did a little digging.
These headlines span 25 years. Different publications. Different people. Different moments.
Yet the message is remarkably similar.
When Dana Reeve was diagnosed in 2005, many of us thought her story might change how people viewed lung cancer.
Instead, ‘never smoked’ became the headline.
Twenty years later, it still is.
We’ve made extraordinary advances in lung cancer research and treatment. But have we changed how people understand the disease?
The problem isn’t that we’re explaining that you don’t have to smoke to get lung cancer. That’s important. The problem is that we’re still having to explain it.
Awareness isn’t the same as understanding. And what if the awareness we’re trying to raise is actually perpetuating the stigma we’re trying to eliminate?
Facing a lung cancer diagnosis is already an uphill battle. No one should have to defend themselves or someone they love for getting this disease. Ever.
Maybe it’s time to spend less time explaining who gets lung cancer and more time helping people understand the risk factors we know, investigating those we don’t yet understand, and investing in the research needed to find answers.”
You may also be interested in: Highlighting Global Research Efforts for Lung Cancer Awareness Month 2026 – IARC
