Multiple studies presented at recent lung cancer conferences unveil groundbreaking discoveries in tumor-immune interactions. Research from Stanford Medicine and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai highlights synaptic connections between small cell lung cancer cells and neurons that drive tumor progression, and the reprogramming of bone marrow immune cells by lung tumors to evade defenses. Complementary data reveals IFITM3’s role in small cell lung cancer immunotherapy sensitivity, advancing understanding of tumor microenvironment mechanisms.