Lung Cancer

At the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, our team of 15 scientists focused on lung cancer is taking on this disease from every angle. Our researchers are working to improve prevention efforts, detect lung cancer earlier and develop personalized therapy to improve the standard of care for lung cancer treatments.

While we are making meaningful progress, one fact remains: more people in the United States die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer.

Fortunately, we have you.

Our donors are critical partners, making investments that help the lung cancer research program amass talent and obtain equipment that leads to breakthroughs. In some cases, your generosity grants us the flexibility to pursue bold ideas that would otherwise go unexplored.

Together, we’re making progress that will save more lives in Indiana and around the world. Here is a glimpse of what you make possible at IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, killing more people than colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer–the second, third, and fourth-leading cancer killers–combined. Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death.

However, with early detection through low-dose CT scans, lung cancer’s mortality rate can be decreased by 20 percent. That’s why early detection and screening is vital.

Thanks to a generous gift from the Tom and Julie Wood Family Foundation, a mobile lung cancer screening program will soon take life-saving screenings to eligible high-risk Hoosiers statewide. The mobile program, the only one of its kind in Indiana, is expected to screen its first patient in 2025.

The new mobile screening program was announced by Nasser Hanna, MD, at the third annual meeting of End Lung Cancer Now. Founded by Hanna, End Lung Cancer Now’s vision is to end the suffering and death caused by lung cancer in Indiana. Efforts focus on reducing tobacco consumption, increasing life-saving screening CTs, improving participation in clinical research, and reducing the stigma around the disease through advocacy.

Shadia Jalal, MD, and Catherine Sears, MD, are leading efforts to expand lung cancer screenings and lung cancer clinical trial access and accrual specifically for Hoosier veterans. Together, they received a three-year, $1 million grant from the National Center for Lung Cancer Screening and Lung Precision Oncology Program.

Though they are at higher risk of developing lung cancer, veterans get fewer screenings than the general eligible population. This funding aims to expand access and increase accrual of more Indiana veterans into clinical trials for lung cancer.

Our lung cancer research program is pioneering a personalized approach to therapy by utilizing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a guiding tool. ctDNA are subtle traces of cancer cells circulating in the bloodstream that can be detected through a simple blood test. This method provides valuable insights into the presence and progression of cancer, allowing us to determine whether the cancer has been effectively eliminated and if more therapy is needed.

Hanna and Rohan Maniar, MD, are now set to harness this powerful biomarker in a groundbreaking trial. Their objective is to use ctDNA measurements as a real-time indicator to tailor the duration of consolidated immunotherapy—or treatment that’s given after initial therapy—for each patient. This innovative strategy marks a significant advancement in refining and enhancing the standard of care for lung cancer treatment.

In the quest to revolutionize lung cancer treatment, some of our patients also provide the most precious gift to research—themselves.

One reason lung cancer is such a challenging disease is that obtaining a simple tumor biopsy can be difficult and risky. That’s especially true in patients with aggressive small-cell disease. In these tumors, cancer cells multiply so quickly that any sample researchers obtain is swamped with dead cells.

There’s a solution to help researchers, but it is grim: obtaining a biopsy shortly after a patient passes away.

Some patients who want to further research have consented to donate such a sample within 12 hours of their death. The tiny bit of tissue is a significant contribution.

Led by Shadia Jalal, MD, this tissue biorepository is invaluable for researchers. Samples go into cell and animal models, teaching us about lung cancer’s deadly mechanics. They will let us explore the microscopic and harsh environment around a tumor. And they will serve as a proving ground for drugs aimed at new targets. 

Since starting this study, five enrolled patients have passed away. Their tumor and blood samples were collected, and their legacy is already making an impact. Thanks to these selfless patients, researchers have created new cell lines that are more reflective of the true nature of small-cell disease. 

John Turchi, PhD, has developed a molecule designed to disrupt the DNA repair pathways that allow lung cancer cells to continue replicating and tumors to grow. Now these new small-cell lung cancer models will help determine if this novel therapeutic could lead to new treatments.