In the US, the 5-year survival rate for people diagnosed with lung cancer has risen to 29.7%, according to the 2025 State of Lung Cancer report recently released by the American Lung Association (ALA).1

The report notes, however, that reductions to both funding and staff at the National Institutes of Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may jeopardize this progress, while lung cancer continues to be the top cause of cancer death.

For this report, the ALA used state-level data to assess trends in diagnosis, treatment, and survival. The 29.7% 5-year survival rate marks an increase by 26% nationally over the past 5 years.

While screening recommendations by the US Preventive Services Task Force have contributed to increases in the numbers of women and Black individuals identified to be at high risk, just 18.2% of high-risk individuals overall were screened in 2022.

In addition, disparities in care affect some communities. For example, compared to White individuals, Black individuals overall received early diagnosis and treatment at lower rates, and they also were 13% less likely to survive 5 years.

Rates of annual screening varied by state, ranging from 9.7% in Wyoming to 31.0% in Rhode Island. A benefit of early detection using annual low-dose computed tomography-based screening is that it may reduce the death rate from lung cancer by up to 20%, according to the report.

The ALA estimates that approximately 227,000 individuals will receive a lung cancer diagnosis this year, although rates of new cases also vary across states. For example, incidence of lung cancer in Kentucky is more than 2.3 times higher than Utah’s incidence rate. Nationally, new cases decreased by 13% across over the past 5 years.

Overall, 28.1% of cases of lung cancer were diagnosed at an early stage, at which point the 5-year survival rate is higher (65%), whereas 43% of cases were diagnosed at a late stage, with a survival rate of 10%.

Five-year survival rates ranged from 22.7% for Alabama to 37.6% for Rhode Island. Nationwide, 21.0% of patients did not receive treatment, ranging from 13.2% of patients in Massachusetts to 36.9% in Nevada.

The report also highlighted the potential for comprehensive biomarker testing to aid in assessing the appropriateness of targeted treatments for patients. However, states vary in terms of insurance coverage for biomarker testing. As of August, 17 states require insurance companies to cover comprehensive biomarker testing, 5 states have some coverage, and 28 states and Washington, DC, lack coverage requirements.