Houston Oncologist Highlights Advances in Lung Cancer Treatments

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Houston-based academic thoracic medical oncologist Eric K. Singhi, MD, believes in reaching lung cancer patients and their families where they are: online.

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Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. According to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America (LCFA), lung cancer claims more lives each year than breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers combined.

For two and a half years, Dr. Singhi has posted educational information about lung cancer on his Instagram page @lungoncdoc.

"It's just getting the message out there is so important," says Dr. Singhi. "Everything I do on social media is purely educational disease state awareness, to get the word out there that this narrative has changed and there are treatment options."

The hope is that awareness leads to better screening and credible information about new, innovative treatments for small cell lung cancer, the deadliest of all lung cancers, according to LCFA. Today, because of innovative treatment options, this is not your grandparent's small cell lung cancer diagnosis.

"The phrase 'not your grandmother's small cell lung cancer' captures how treatment has evolved," says Dr. Singhi. "If your grandmother was treated for small cell lung cancer decades ago, the options available to her were likely much more limited than what we can offer today. For many years, progress was frustratingly slow. Now, we have immunotherapy, new maintenance treatment options for certain patients, and treatments that can bring real hope, such as T-cell engagers, that help the immune system recognize and attack cancer after it progresses on chemotherapy."

T-cell engagers, or BiTE therapy drugs are a form of immunotherapy. T-cell engagers are like a bridge, allowing specific T-cells to grab the tumor cells, grab the immune cells, and bring them together to create an immune response. In 2025, the FDA fully approved BiTE therapy, after on-going clinical trials.

"Biospecific T-cell engagers are really exciting right now," says Dr. Singhi. "They have changed the game since we had immunotherapy come into play with chemo."

According to the LCFA, recent advances in innovative treatments for small cell lung cancer can lead to both a longer and better quality of life. Those advances are happening so rapidly that it's difficult for doctors to keep up with them.

"It's not even necessarily the fault of the community oncologist," says Dr. Singhi. "They just are so busy. They see so many different tumors."

That's one reason why Dr. Singhi posts on social media. He wants patients to work with their medical care teams on a treatment plan. And he wants patients to know what to ask their oncologists.

"One question to absolutely ask: Have there been any recent advances that could change my treatment options? That is a reasonable question at diagnosis and again if the cancer progresses," he says. "Other important questions: Are there clinical trials I should consider now? How can we manage symptoms and protect my quality of life together throughout my treatment?"

Catching lung cancer early dramatically changes the treatment outlook, according to LCFA. Annual screening is recommended for people who are 50 to 80 years old and have a 20-pack-a-year or more smoking history.

"I talk a lot about how the body whispers before it screams and paying attention to those whispers," Dr. Singhi says. "Having a primary-care physician and a good relationship where your symptoms and concerns are being watched and monitored is so important."

Part of encouraging people to listen to those whispers, says Dr. Singhi, is to empower them with credible information.

"The power of communication, the power of community, the power of reaching people where they are, which is online as of 2026," he says. "Small cell lung cancer remains an aggressive disease, and we should respect what earlier generations experienced. While we still have substantial work to do, today, we do have more tools and more reasons for hope."

For more information, visit Lung Cancer Foundation of America's website https://lcfamerica.org/.

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