UCL Researchers Call for More Funding to Study Lung Cancer in Never-Smokers

As lung cancer in never-smokers accounts for a growing share of overall diagnoses, researchers at University College London (UCL) have published a call for significantly more funding to be directed toward studying and screening for the disease in this specific population.

The review, published in the journal Trends in Cancer, cites evidence from studies covering several thousand lung cancer patients in the US and UK showing that absolute numbers of lung cancer in never-smokers have risen, not just their proportional share. In one UK study cited in the review, cases in never-smokers doubled between 2008 and 2014.

The authors note that the overwhelming majority of current lung cancer screening resources are directed toward current and former smokers; in the UK, there is currently no routine lung cancer screening program for people who have never smoked. As a result, lung cancer in never-smokers (LCINS) is often diagnosed later, which the review links to poorer outcomes. The review also points out that treatments commonly used for smoking-related lung cancer, including some immunotherapies, have shown reduced effectiveness in never-smoker populations, adding urgency to calls for research specifically targeting this group.

Expanding screening eligibility criteria beyond smoking history is an active area of policy discussion in several countries. Our article library covers how current lung cancer screening guidelines are structured and how they have changed over time.