New research links family and personal cancer history to lung cancer risk

A new study is adding real weight to one of our core priorities: understanding who is actually at risk for lung cancer, and how we can make sure more people know it in time. 

Researchers reviewed 12 years of health records for 2.8 million women and found a real, measurable signal that a personal or family history of cancer raises the likelihood of a lung cancer diagnosis, independent of smoking history.

What the study found

The study, published in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, drew on health records from 2010 to 2022, covering 2.8 million adult women without a prior lung cancer diagnosis. Women with a personal history of any cancer, not only lung cancer, had an 88% higher prevalence of lung cancer, even after researchers accounted for smoking history, age, race and ethnicity, and other health factors. A family history of cancer showed a related pattern as well.

The study’s large scale, drawing from real clinical records, adds important evidence toward better understanding of lung cancer risk.

Why this matters for the Foundation's work

Current lung cancer screening guidelines are built almost entirely around smoking history. This research adds to growing evidence that smoking history alone may not capture everyone at elevated risk, and highlights personal and family cancer history as readily available information that could help contribute to a more complete picture of lung cancer risk. This reinforces why we support work aimed at building a fuller picture of who is at risk and when.

Learn more about how the Foundation is expanding who benefits from earlier detection, and see more research updates like this one on The Latest.