Pulmonologists Can Close Lung Cancer Testing Gaps: Eric K. Singhi, MD

Pulmonologists can help close persistent gaps in comprehensive biomarker testing for lung cancer, a step that determines whether patients can access a growing number of precise therapies, according to Eric K. Singhi, MD, assistant professor in the Department of General Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Speaking at CHEST 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona, Singhi, a thoracic medical oncologist, outlined how lung cancer care is evolving.

Biomarker Testing Drives Precise Treatment

Singhi highlighted 3 trends: systemic therapies are moving into earlier-stage disease, treatment is increasingly personalized through biomarker testing, and options extend beyond chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy to antibody-drug conjugates, T-cell engagers, and vaccines. Pulmonologists are central. “You’re often the first specialist to actually meet the patient to tell them they have a diagnosis of cancer, and you play a fundamental role in getting enough tissue so we can run all the tests that we need.”

At least 10 genomic alterations have FDA-approved matched targeted therapies, yet a 2024 global survey from the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer found that 43% of providers started drug therapy before biomarker results returned. Barriers include awareness, access, cost, and insufficient tissue. “But I strongly believe that we can’t advance this field if we can’t identify the patient that really might reap the benefit from a particular treatment that’s truly precise.”

Equity and Patient Education

Minority communities also appear less likely to receive routine biomarker testing, which Singhi called an unmet need requiring action from multiple stakeholders. Engaging pulmonologists early, he said, helps testing start quickly. He also studies patient education, arguing that patients and families should understand the reasoning behind treatment recommendations. Citing patient advocate Jill Feldman, he noted that informed decision-making is a prerequisite for shared decision-making, and his research aims to translate practice-changing data into information patients and families can understand and use.