The success of a lung cancer screening program pioneered by the University of Kentucky’s Markey Cancer Center and the University of Colorado has inspired a charity to provide a sizeable grant for its expansion into other states.
The Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation is bestowing a US$6.8 million dollar sum for this purpose. This charitable organization is dedicated to disease prevention and treatment around the globe, particularly in underserved low-income communities.
“This funding will allow us to apply what we’ve learned in Kentucky to help create targeted solutions for Mississippi and Nevada,” Markey Cancer Center researcher Jennifer Knight said, “potentially setting a new standard for lung cancer screening nationwide.”
These two states will soon have access to Kentucky’s QUILS (quality implementation of lung cancer screening) program. They have been selected because of their high lung cancer and low screening rates.
Although Kentucky has the highest rate of lung cancer in the United States, it also has the second highest rate of lung cancer screening behind Massachusetts. The QUILS program, combined with the LEADS (lung cancer, education, awareness, detection and survivorship) Collaborative launched in 2014, has enabled Kentucky to achieve a screening rate two times higher than the national average over the past decade.
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Kentucky has lung cancer testing breakthrough
One particular company in the state has developed an innovative new means of testing for the disease.
Breath Diagnostics Inc. is in the advanced stages on the path to commercialization of its OneBreath MicroReactor testing system.
This non-invasive diagnostics method simply requires patients to breathe into a bag. Their sample then gets analyzed in a lab for accurate diagnosis within a few days.
This technology has been tested in several studies with more than 800 patients. It eliminates the need for expensive CT scan equipment and the use of radiation while providing more precise results.
Breath Diagnostics will soon make this technology commercially available in the healthcare industry before eventual FDA approval.
Read more: UK hospital starts using advanced robotic tool for early-stage lung cancer detection
Read more: New Brunswick to use blood testing method for identifying lung cancer
Kentucky breaks ground on huge cancer complex
In April, construction of a massive 550,000-square-foot facility that will serve as a new home for the Markey Cancer Center began at the University of Kentucky. It is intended to provide a comprehensive range of cancer care services. These include radiation medicine, chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants and more.
“This new state-of-the-art facility will help more of our Kentucky families defeat cancer and access the critical health care services they need to be healthy and thrive here at home,” state Governor Andy Beshear said.
Its construction is slated for completion by 2027. The vast project, funded by UK HealthCare, is expected to cost approximately US$781 million.
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in Kentucky and the U.S. behind heart disease. Lung cancer is the most prevalent killer in the disease group.
rowan@mugglehead.com
