When cancer is described as “advanced,” that means it has started to spread.  Today, progress in understanding the origins of cancer and the development of new medications have improved patients' odds of living with and beyond advanced cancers.

Finding lung cancer early on can save lives, but currently there is not an approved method for screening. The percentage of early-stage lung cancers detected via CT scans, however, has risen.

Since 2005, Abraxane (paclitaxel) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat breast cancer. Now the drug can also be used for first-line treatment of advanced lung cancer.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. For many scientists, the future of lung cancer treatments lies within the tissue of the patients.