Enhancing lung cancer screening for at-risk women: A targeted outreach success

A recent study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) sought to close a gap in lung cancer screenings for at-risk women. The favorable findings are summarized in a press release.

According to VUMC, the majority of women over 50 who are eligible for both a mammogram and a low-dose CT scan for lung cancer only schedule their mammogram. Two academic medical centers used “targeted outreach” to enroll 659 women for lung cancer screening, 137 more than their goal.

The centers used approaches like:

• Using patient electronic health records to identify lung cancer risk and contacting those patients to let them know they qualify for a screening.
• Gathering smoking history from patients at their mammogram appointments to determine eligibility.
• Offering same-day lung cancer screenings to eligible women going in for their mammogram.

The authors hope their study leads to increased lung cancer screenings for patients worldwide and earlier diagnosis.