Twenty Lung Cancer Advocacy Organizations and 23andMe Come Together to Launch Lung Cancer Genetics Study to Help Advance Research

Study aims to build a comprehensive, open-source database of heritable genetics and patient-reported data in lung cancer

SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 23andMe Holding Co. (Nasdaq: ME), a leading genetic health and biopharmaceutical company, in collaboration with 20 lung cancer advocacy organizations, today announced a new study to help advance research in lung cancer. The focus of the Lung Cancer Genetics Study is to better understand the genetics of people with lung cancer in order to improve detection, risk reduction, and care. While recent developments in tumor genetic testing and targeted therapies have provided hope and years of survival to many lung cancer patients, lung cancer remains the number one cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the United States. Yet, much remains unknown about the disease and its causes.

“There is a great need to better define the underlying genetics of lung cancer,” said Courtney Granville, Chief Scientific Officer at GO2 for Lung Cancer. “We are privileged to stand together with the research and patient advocacy communities to contribute to this effort to better define inherited risk for lung cancer and inform our ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat people. Ultimately, the learnings from this study will improve outcomes for future generations.”

The de-identified data from the study will be made available to approved researchers, and access to the scientific database will be available to nonprofit researchers and institutions at no cost.

Sobering lung cancer statistics only tell part of the story
Despite advances in treatment options, lung cancer remains a critical area of unmet need:

• In 2020, lung cancer took more lives in the United States than breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers combined.
• One in 16 people in the United States will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime.
• It is estimated that in 2024, 234,000 new people will be diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States.
• While lung cancer accounts for 12% of all new cancer diagnoses, it accounts for 20% of cancer deaths.
• Despite being the deadliest cancer, lung cancer research is underfunded compared to other cancer types.
• Early detection of lung cancer through screening can dramatically improve the long-term survival rate. Only 25% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, but for those whose cancer was diagnosed through annual screening by CT scan, the 20-year survival rate is 81%.
• In people diagnosed at 55 years of age or younger, lung cancer is more common in women than men. Among people with lung cancer who have never smoked, approximately two-thirds are women, making women who have not smoked more than twice as likely to develop lung cancer as men who have not smoked.