As one of the nation's top-rated lung cancer programs, Rush has compassionate care and advanced treatments like immunotherapies and minimally invasive surgery.
Spotlight
Among the Best in the U.S. for Cancer Care, Pulmonology Care and Lung Surgery
U.S. News & World Report ranked Rush University Medical Center among the best in the U.S. for cancer care, pulmonology care and lung surgery.

The Rush Approach to Lung Cancer Care
As hope grows for people who have lung cancer, experts at Rush are leading the way with advanced treatments and comprehensive care.
For the past 25 years, our lung cancer program has brought together a team of medical oncologists, thoracic surgeons and radiation oncologists — who are all leaders in lung cancer care. Our combination of compassionate care and cutting-edge lung cancer treatments means you can expect personalized care from a team dedicated to finding the most effective ways for you to beat lung cancer and live a meaningful life.
As one of the leading academic health systems in the nation, Rush offers the most advanced lung cancer care, including immunotherapies, minimally invasive surgical options, like video-assisted thorascopic surgery (VATS), and precision medicine. You’ll also have access to clinical trials that are looking at novel approaches to treating lung cancer.
Rush Excellence in Lung Cancer Care
- National leaders in lung cancer surgery: Your lung cancer treatment may include surgery. And at Rush, you're in good hands. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons designated Rush as a three-star program for lobectomy (the most common surgery for lung cancer). This is the society’s highest-ranking, given only to the top 5% thoracic surgery programs in the United States. Surgeons at Rush perform more than 86% of lobectomies for stage I lung cancer in a minimally invasive fashion, compared to less than 50%. This approach allows you to recover more quickly and with less pain than traditional open surgery.
- Internationally recognized for excellence in patient care: Your care team will put you at the center of every decision about your treatment. This patient-centered approach led the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer to name the Rush lung cancer program as one of five worldwide recipients of the foundation’s inaugural Cancer Care Team Award — which recognizes programs that provide the highest quality patient care.
- A leader in precision medicine: The lung cancer team works closely with Tempus — a biotechnology company that analyzes your specific genetic and clinical data and provides information about how your specific cancer may respond to targeted treatments. This allows your care team to tailor treatment to find the most effective option for treating your specific cancer.
- Lung cancer screening to detect lung cancer early: If you have a high risk of developing lung cancer, lung cancer screening — available at all three Rush hospitals — helps detect lung cancers in their earliest stages, when they are most treatable. Our lung cancer screening sites are designated screening centers of excellence by the Lung Cancer Alliance — a designation given to centers that meet the highest standards for lung cancer screening.