Mandy Oaklander | September 17, 2026

Lung cancer kills more people in the U.S. and the world than any other kind. It can progress with subtle symptoms or none at all, and it's frequently diagnosed at later stages than other cancers.

Who’s at risk? More people than you might think, because while smoking is the major contributor, it isn’t the only one. New science is showing that genetics play a role, my colleague Alice Park reports in her new piece. A study published today found that nonsmokers who have a certain rare genetic mutation are 60 times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers who don’t have the mutation.

The researchers hope that linking genetic changes like this one to lung cancer might help people who have no idea they’re at risk get screened much earlier.

TODAY’S TOPICS

Name your feelings
An encouraging drop in cancer deaths
Got a question for us?
Medical bills keep piling up

ONE SMALL CHANGE

Feeling “bad”? Use three better words

How are you feeling? Bad, stressed, and off don’t give you much to work with. The next time you reach for one of those emotional catchalls, pause and name three more precise feelings—then add a quick “because” to each one.

Maybe you’re anxious because you don’t know what’s coming, resentful because you’re carrying too much, or embarrassed because you’re worried how you’ll look. Each one points toward a different action to take and gives you somewhere to begin. —Angela Haupt, Editor, Health & Wellness

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BIG NUMBER

35%

The drop in the overall cancer death rate between 1991 and 2024 in the U.S., according to a report published yesterday by the American Association for Cancer Research. The decline is linked to prevention and early detection programs, new treatments, and reductions in smoking. —Alice Park, Senior Health Correspondent

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WHAT WE’RE READING

Nearly one third of adults with private health insurance still have unpaid medical bills or medical debt, according to a survey from the Commonwealth Fund, Alana Semuels writes for TIME.
A two-year long study in the American South comparing a Mediterranean diet for weight loss with a calorie-counting intervention found that both helped people lose a similar amount of weight, writes Mandy French at Healthline.
Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, criticized the Trump Administration’s handling of vaccines this week, saying that “this is not making America healthy again,” Lauren Morganbesser reports for Semafor.