Reflections on the National Lung Cancer Roundtable Conference

In December, NCC’s Cari Herington and Kristen Hackbarth were in Atlanta to attend the American Cancer Society’s National Lung Cancer Roundtable conference, an annual gathering of lung cancer advocates, researchers, physicians, and public health champions working to reduce the burden of lung cancer.  

The one-and-a-half day conference offered an agenda packed with partner updates, inspiring concepts, and compelling speakers. A highlight was an opening keynote by stage 4 lung cancer survivor and advocate Ashley Vassallo. The 34-year-old single mom told her story which included 15 ER visits and 366 days to reach her diagnosis while her cancer continued to progress. Vassallo has shared her story on TikTok as a powerful young advocate and in articles including this one in Self magazine. We encourage anyone to learn more about her and her journey.

Vassallo’s story tied in with a key takeaway from the conference: Smoking as the only risk factor for lung cancer is a false narrative. Although an estimated 80% of cases are thought to be caused by smoking, many people with no smoking history have struggled to be diagnosed because their concerns are ignored.

Dr. Jamie Studts from the University of Colorado Cancer Center - Anschutz Medical Campus said we need to “complexify” the conversation around lung cancer and lung cancer screening. When we limit our discussion of lung cancer to smoking and mortality, he said, we get stigma and nihilism. By leading with empathy, optimism, and urgency we invite more people into the conversation and reduce the shame that some associate with the disease.

Another key takeaway gleaned at this conference that may be a theme for NCC in 2025—it was an important concept at the Cancer Center Community Impact Forum as well—is that we have to meet people where they are. This is both literal and figurative. Students with American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative (ALCSI) are doing this. With their Plus One campaign they are engaging with people of all ages on college campuses and at community events to educate about lung cancer screening. For those who aren’t eligible for lung cancer screening, students with ALCSI are encouraging them to talk about screening with their “plus one”—someone in their life who may be eligible to screen.

In a panel discussion about health equity, Dr. Chris Pernell, the director at the Center for Health Equity at the NAACP, said we need to assess the systems we have in place that are creating lung cancer disparities by asking a series of questions. “How is ________ operating here?” she asked. Sexism, racism, ableism, classism and others should all take turns filling in the blank of that question. By assessing the barriers these -isms create, we can begin to dismantle them and move toward equity and justice.

On that same panel we were inspired by Dr. Loretta Erhunmwunsee, an associate professor in the division of thoracic surgery at City of Hope, who said we need to use conversations such as those at the conference not just to inspire and inform, but to transform through real action. We need to institutionalize the things we want to see, embedding them in our culture or systems.

And finally, we were reminded that while our goal is the same, all states are different. We have different healthcare systems, different challenges and barriers, and different opportunities. Our goal for NCC and Nevada as we left the conference was to gather ideas from other states, build partnerships, and look for ways to tailor others’ successes to meet the landscape of Nevada.

If you’re interested in getting involved in more work on increasing lung cancer screening in Nevada, join our Lung Cancer Collaborative. We also invite you to learn more about the National Lung Cancer Roundtable and consider attending next year’s conference, scheduled for December 8-9, 2025.