Study shows multidisciplinary lung nodule programs streamline detection of early-stage lung cancers
Through UCI Health program, more patients received additional screening for suspicious nodules
November 22, 2024
IN THE NEWS: Lung nodule screening programs have been shown to be an effective way to increase the detection of early-stage lung cancers.
UCI Health started its Lung Cancer Screening Program in 2018, followed by a multidisciplinary lung nodule initiative in 2020.
UCI Health cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Hari B. Keshava led a study last year in which data from every patient screened in the lung cancer program between 2018-2022 was collected. Individuals who had nodules 7mm or greater were referred to the lung nodule program for additional scans, biopsies and possible treatment. As a result of the screening, 62% of patients received additional screening for possible lung cancer.
Keshava spoke to OncLive about how the program led to greater detection of early-stage lung cancers.
“We’re showing that by finding them early, we can deal with it early so you don’t have to deal with some of the later issues that can come about, meaning long-term chemotherapy or immunotherapy, which can be expensive. If we find it early, we can help cure these patients. And on the other end, these patients can go on to be very productive people in society.”
Keshava, an assistant professor in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the UC Irvine School of Medicine, published “Impact of a Lung Nodule Program in a Tertiary Care Academic Center in the United States” in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. His research interests include outcomes in lung cancer, esophageal cancer and mesothelioma, as well as cancer survivorship, cancer detection devices and health policy. He is the author or co-author of numerous research articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Keshava specializes in disorders of the chest, including lung cancer, metastatic lung cancer, mesothelioma, esophageal cancer and malignancies of the thymus. His clinical focus also includes gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), mediastinal malignancies, tracheal diseases and chest wall deformities.
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