Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the United States. Cancer researchers estimated that more than 135,000 American would die of lung cancer in 2020. Metastatic lung cancer has an 85 percent mortality rate within five years of diagnosis.

Lung cancers usually fall into two categories: small cell and non-small cell. Small cell lung cancer is a faster-growing form of the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, SCLC tends to respond well to chemotherapy and radiation, but the cancer will return for most people. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is more common but tends to grow more slowly than SCLC. Types of NSCLC include adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Lung cancer tends to affect people over the age of 60. Smoking is the biggest risk factor—and it contributes to 80 percent and 90 percent of lung cancer deaths in women and men, respectively. According to a U.S. Surgeon General report, second-hand smoke leads to approximately 7,330 lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers every year.

Lung cancer is often deadly because tumors are not caught early enough. Once tumors are diagnosed, they are often inoperable or have already metastasized. Better diagnostics and more effective therapies are desperately needed in the field.