Finding Hope Amidst a Lung Cancer Diagnosis

Although a cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming and isolating, patients should know that they are never alone, according to Brittney Nichols, registered nurse, as well as senior science and research specialist at GO2 for Lung Cancer.

Nichols sat down for an interview with CURE at the 2025 IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer on the topic of lung cancer, in which, she highlighted advice she would give to newly diagnosed patients who are feeling overwhelmed, or isolated, following their diagnosis.

There are supportive communities and resources available to patients, Nichols emphasized, adding that recent advances in personalized medicine and immunotherapy offer hope.

Transcript

What message of hope or advice would you give to patients who are newly diagnosed with cancer and feeling overwhelmed or isolated?

I know so many people describe how overwhelming and isolating a diagnosis of cancer is, and so what I think I really want people to know is that no matter how it feels, you are not alone. And there is hope. There's a whole community out there who wants to support you, help you and provide any information and resources that we can to help you live your best life, even with a diagnosis of cancer.

Again, do not lose hope. It can be very scary, but if you just think about the amazing advances we've seen in the last decade and a half, with medicine that's highly personalized, and medications that can revamp a person's entire immune system. The rate of all of these discoveries is accelerating, and not just from a scientific standpoint, but we're really interested now in making sure that people aren't just living long lives, but they're living happy and healthy lives. So again, it's a really scary place to be in, but you're not alone and there's hope at the end of that tunnel.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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