Melinda Aldrich, PhD, MPH

Lung cancer screening helps find lung cancer early, when it is easier to treat. However, only 5%-18% of eligible people in the U.S. have ever been screened for lung cancer. There are many reasons so few people get screened, such as not knowing about screening, trouble getting to screening centers, and fears about the process. These challenges are even greater for people in rural areas and underserved communities. Usually, patients must receive a CT scan to get screened for lung cancer. To make screening easier, we will offer a simple blood test to help patients get screened. Blood tests are more familiar and easier for many people, which may encourage greater screening participation. Our study will evaluate if a blood test helps more people get screened for lung cancer. We will also ask patients and doctors how they feel about the blood-based test. By making lung cancer screening more accessible, we hope to save lives.

American Lung Association Pierre Massion Lung Cancer Discovery Award

Update: Our project evaluates if a blood-based biomarker test can increase lung cancer early detection rates. We have partnered with a federally qualified community health center located in the Southeast U.S. serving a low-income and predominantly Black patient population. While administrative challenges delayed our initial project start, we are underway with clinic staff who are working directly with study participants. We held an onsite lunch-and-learn event for physicians and staff at the community health center, partnering with American Lung Association staff in Arkansas, the Arkansas Cancer Coalition and the White Ribbon Project for the event. Additionally, we have elicited practitioner perspectives about blood-based biomarker testing for the early detection of lung cancer. The results of this study will inform future development of more inclusive screening programs.