While major advances in screening, targeted treatment and immunotherapy have transformed outcomes for non-small cell lung cancer, progress against small cell lung cancer (SCLC) has lagged behind. In this episode,  Jacob Sands, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School joins us to share insights into the present state of SCLC treatment, from staging and standard therapies to new research on vaccines that could one day change the course of this aggressive disease.

Microbiome is a mysterious medical frontier with more questions than answers. In this episode, nutrition expert Neal Barnard, MD, of George Washington University explores the connection between diet, gut microbiome and lung health. While fiber and plant-based diets have been shown to shape a healthier microbiome, this conversation sheds light on the growing evidence that what we eat may have far-reaching effects beyond the gut—including in our lungs.

This episode featuring clinician-scientist and expert in liquid biopsy development, Dr. Lindsey Cotton, who explores the evolving science of lung cancer biomarkers and their role in early detection. Listen in to learn more about the current landscape, benefits and challenges of both organ-specific and multi-cancer tests. The highly informative discussion aims to clarify what these tests can and cannot tell us today, along with a forecast for tomorrow.

Earlier this year, the Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines were updated to include a new emphasis on cardiovascular disease and pulmonary hypertension in COPD, among much more. Rejoining us for an episode exploring these revisions is Gerard Criner, MD, of Temple University, a foremost COPD expert who serves on the GOLD Board of Directors and GOLD Science Committee. He spells out the improvements, from interventions like smoking cessation and pulmonary rehabilitation to the heightened importance of spirometry for diagnosis.

This special episode features 2 interviews on-site at the 2025 American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference in San Francisco: Harold P. Wimmer, CEO of the American Lung Association, and Francesca Polverino, MD, PhD, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine and spokesperson for the ALA.

View the latest conference coverage from this meeting here: https://www.hcplive.com/conference/ats

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An internationally recognized leader in air quality, epidemiology and exposure assessment, George Thurston, ScD, of New York University headlines this important episode analyzing the Lung Association’s 2025 “State of the Air” report. With nearly half of the people living in the U.S. breathing unhealthy amounts of air pollution, Thurston delves into the acute and accumulative health impacts on communities across the country. Listen in to learn more about the report’s key learnings, from adverse effects of exposure to ground-level ozone pollution to the decade-long worsening trend of particle pollution.

Want more Lungcast? Visit us at HCPLive.com/podcasts/lungcast or www.lung.org/professional-education/lungcast

It has been more than a decade since lung cancer screening guidelines via low-dose CT, based on the USPSTF’s B recommendations, have been put into place. To discuss the guidelines’ ambitions and obstacles, we are joined by the University of Illinois Health System’s Mary Pasquinelli, DNP, who specializes in lung cancer, lung cancer screening and pulmonary nodule management. While a lifesaving procedure for at-risk individuals, the uptake of screening on a population-level—though increasing—has been slower than expected.

Want more Lungcast? Visit us at HCPLive.com/podcasts/lungcast or www.lung.org/professional-education/lungcast

For this hot topic, asthma and lung health expert Dr. Afif El-Hasan of Kaiser Permanente in California joins host Dr. Albert Rizzo to discuss the acute effects of wildfire smoke on air quality. The enlightening conversation also covers the massive cleanup efforts from the recent Los Angeles wildfires and how related exposures may pose health risks.

Want more Lungcast? Visit us at HCPLive.com/podcasts/lungcast or www.lung.org/professional-education/lungcast

In this episode, Dr. Meredith McCormack of Johns Hopkins University and Dr. Loretta Que of Duke University to discuss “race-based normal values” in medicine, particularly in regard to pulmonary function tests (PFT).

The controversial practice of using a patient’s self-reported race to adjust a standard “normal” range has been shown to lead to potential misdiagnosis and healthcare disparities. Drs. McCormack and Que talk at length about their key roles in the growing movement to phase out a reliance on race in PFT interpretation.

Want more Lungcast? Visit us at HCPLive.com/podcasts/lungcast or www.lung.org/professional-education/lungcast

Ever since the show first launched, Lungcast has provided pulmonologists and health care providers in general a chance to take part in ongoing conversations regarding lung health between experts, patients, and patient advocates.

In this recap episode, the Lungcast team reflects on these conversations by highlighting some of the many interviews featured in 2024. The following are a set of examples of this year’s interviews, though several other memorable episodes are not on this list. We hope you enjoy this set of highlights.

For more, view a summary here: https://www.hcplive.com/view/this-year-in-pulmonology-a-2024-lungcast-recap

Want more Lungcast? Visit us at HCPLive.com/podcasts/lungcast or www.lung.org/professional-education/lungcast