LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Kentucky leads the nation in new lung cancer cases, but the state is showing significant improvement thanks to screening initiatives centered in Lexington at the UK Markey Cancer Center.
The lung cancer mortality rate in Kentucky is decreasing over time, according to Dr. Timothy Mullett, a thoracic surgeon at UK Markey Cancer Center. Over the past decade, a statewide push to get more people screened has led to more Kentuckians surviving after a lung cancer diagnosis than ever before.
"We're measuring, we're seeing stage shift, into that early stage when people are developing cancer," Mullett said.
Progress recently highlighted by Governor Andy Beshear shows an increase in Kentucky's lung cancer survival rate by 30 percent over the past five years due to increased screening efforts.
"We're seeing more early stage, less late stage cancers and that's improving the survivability of this cancer," Mullett said.
Kentucky's lung cancer screening rates have climbed well above the national average, and late stage diagnoses have dropped at twice the national rate.
Mullett points to the impact of two programs at UK Markey Cancer Center: the Kentucky LEADS Collaborative and Kentucky Cancer Consortium Lung Cancer Network, which optimize lung cancer screening programs. The strategy focuses on patient navigation through the system.
"To make sure that there's good navigation of the patient through the system, to make sure they come back for that scan year after year," Mullett said.
Mullett, faculty members and researchers co-developed the Quality Implementation of Lung Cancer Screening system, also known as QUILS. It started with 10 lung cancer screening systems in 2014 and has now been implemented 30 times throughout Kentucky. The QUILS group received a new $6.8 million grant from the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation with a goal to replicate the QUILS system in Mississippi and Nevada.
"These are ways that we can deploy this to be able to influence other places," Mullett said.
Despite Kentucky's progress, only about one in five eligible residents statewide are screened for lung cancer. Mullett and Markey researchers are determined to reach the remaining 80% of eligible Kentuckians.
Lung cancer screening is recommended for adults aged 50 to 80 with significant smoking histories. More information from the UK Markey Cancer Center on eligibility, click here.
