Goffman’s classic definition of shame: It is a state of mind in which the person feels different from other people and feels a sense of shame. Stigma occurs when patients perceive themselves as different from others around them. This difference is often associated with negative attitudes, and these negative characteristics can be perceived as a different type of person, leading to discrimination. Previous studies have used “personal responsibility” as a measure of lung cancer stigma, which is not comprehensive enough. In an article published in the journal Lung Cancer, Dr. Marlow LA in the UK used a multi-modal, multi-dimensional scale to explore stigma in lung cancer and four other cancers. Lung cancer patients may perceive themselves as different from other cancer patients because lung cancer patients are often assumed to be smokers, and smoking is considered a negative trait. Trials have shown more sympathy for patients with lung cancer due to genetic factors than for those with lung cancer due to smoking. A similar situation exists for other types of cancer. Stigma has positive effects such as influencing preventive behaviors, helping to find symptom-related behaviors, and detecting disease. However, there are also negative effects, such as higher levels of stigma in lung cancer, which can lead to depression and a lower quality of life for both smokers and non-smokers. Stigma can also have an impact on those around the patient and may influence funding for cancer-related research. A total of 1205 non-cancer patients were enrolled in the study and randomized to complete an online survey for one of the five cancers (lung, colorectal, skin, breast, and cervical), and stigma was assessed using the Cancer Stigma Scale (CASS). The five cancer CASS scales are significantly different, including “embarrassment, severity, avoidance, differential treatment, personal responsibility, and financial disparity”. Lung cancer scored higher than breast cancer and cervical cancer on all subscales of stigma, and lung cancer was similar to skin cancer on “personal responsibility, avoidance, and differentiation” and higher on “embarrassment, severity, and economic disparity”. Lung cancer was similar to colorectal cancer in terms of ’embarrassment’ and significantly higher than several other cancers. The study used a multi-modal, multi-dimensional scale to examine the stigma associated with lung cancer and four other cancers, and as in previous studies, participants perceived lung cancer to be more stigmatizing, and felt more embarrassed and wanted to avoid it when confronted. Lung cancer is more likely to be attributed to personal responsibility than other cancers, and there are fewer protective policies for lung cancer patients and less financial support for lung cancer patients. Previous studies have shown that lung cancer stigma stems primarily from the belief that all lung cancers are related to smoking, implying that the disease is self-inflicted. Health policies and media campaigns have also been successful in making the public believe that smoking is abnormal, which has stopped the epidemic, but it is unfair to translate the stigma of smoking into the stigma of lung cancer patients. Lung cancer stigma manifests itself in a variety of ways, and reducing stigma can help improve the behavioral experiences and psychological feelings of lung cancer patients. Chambers recently published the first study dedicated to reducing stigma in lung cancer patients with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) delivered over the phone. This treatment was successful in reducing patients’ self-stigma, depression and frustration. Multi-level interventions to change the views of the public, healthcare workers, and patients are beneficial, but the best way to do this needs to be explored. Research on the stigma of drug addiction suggests that positive patient stories of meaning may be an effective approach, and exposure training is the best way for health care workers to understand stigma. Health policy should acknowledge the existence of stigma and the impact it has on patients with lung cancer. Acknowledging stigma and working to reduce it will facilitate the establishment of the best ways to reduce lung cancer stigma and ultimately improve how patients feel and experience it. Most stigma experts believe that stigma varies over time and across cultures, and fewer believe that stigma varies by disease subtype. As knowledge of the causes and outcomes of certain types of cancer increases, stigma for these types of cancer will become an important research topic. There is a risk that increased public knowledge of lifestyle etiology will increase cancer stigma. However, if cancer outcomes improve as a result of increased stigma, this in turn will reduce cancer stigma.