Spotlight: Research Committee
Patient Voices.
Scientific Impact.
Why this matters
Research is strongest when it reflects the lived experiences of the people it aims to serve. These projects help ensure that patient and caregiver perspectives become part of the evidence that informs future research, clinical care, and advocacy.
This season, the LungCAN Research Committee achieved an incredible milestone—submitting abstracts to four major international lung cancer conferences and earning acceptance for a poster presentation at every one.
Led by Lisa Spain, this volunteer team launched in 2024 with a simple but ambitious goal: bring the voices of patients and caregivers directly into lung cancer research.
To Lisa and the entire Research Committee: thank you for the countless volunteer hours, thoughtful collaboration, and dedication behind each of these projects.
The work is just getting started. The team is already launching Phase Two with an updated patient survey and a first-of-its-kind caregiver survey coming later this summer. When those surveys go live, we'll be asking the entire LungCAN community to help share them.
Explore the abstracts and posters from each conference below.
North American Conference on Lung Cancer (NACLC)
The NACLC poster presentation was a demographic study highlighting the differences between patients and caregivers in the fears and challenges they face after a lung cancer diagnosis. Lead presenter: Joan Schiller, with Sara Patton and Lisa Spain in support.
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
The AACR poster presentation examined age-related differences in how patients and caregivers perceive and experience their challenges.
Lead presenter: Sara Patton, supported by Lisa Spain.
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
At ASCO, the team addressed age-related differences in patients at diagnosis and at treatment.
Lead presenter: Lisa Spain, joined by Sara Patton, Joan Schiller, and Karen Woodward.