Lung Cancer
Lung Cancer care begins with tissue diagnosis and staging. Treatment may combine surgery, radiation, and drug therapy; stage at diagnosis is the biggest driver of both cost and outcome. This journey shows the common path while recognizing that individual plans vary widely.
Estimated healthcare costs you pay and other financial effects across the care timeline.
Estimated impact to you over five years
$13,600-$97,000
Estimated healthcare costs you pay plus costs beyond the medical bill, such as missed earnings. Total medical spending is shown separately and is not added again; it already includes the healthcare portion you may pay. Without coverage or when paying cash, your actual healthcare costs may be much higher than this estimate.
Diagnosis
0-2 monthsImaging, specialist evaluation, and a biopsy confirm cancer in the lung and identify its type.
Five-year total treatment: Included once in the five-year total
Standard of care: USPSTF (2021); NCCN (2026)
Estimated total impact to you
$620-$4,160
Standard of care
These care steps follow guidelines from these medical groups.
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: USPSTF Recommendation Statement: Lung Cancer: Screening (2021)
Yearly low-dose CT scans for adults 50 to 80 with a 20 pack-year smoking history who still smoke or quit within 15 years.
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network: NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (2026)
Tests, staging, surgery, radiation, drug treatment, and follow-up for this cancer.
- American Society of Clinical Oncology: ASCO guidelines: systemic therapy for lung cancer (2025)
Which drug treatments to use and how to follow people after treatment.