Mobile lung screening trucks will soon be making the rounds in isolated and underserved Alberta communities.
This will be made possible through a new partnership between the province’s government, the Alberta Cancer Foundation (ACF) and the University of Calgary-based non-profit 19 to Zero. The initiative was announced on Wednesday.
A customized medical sprinter van will perform over 4,000 pulmonary function tests per year while a custom-made truck completes up to 6,000 CT scans. The province’s healthcare company Aceso Medical will operate and maintain them. These vehicles will take advantage of Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service in remote areas.
In addition to lung cancer, pulmonary function tests can help to detect an assortment of lung conditions. These include asthma, pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis. Low-dose CT scans on the other hand are primarily used for identifying cancer in a person’s airways.
“These specialized mobile clinics will bring essential diagnostics to thousands of Albertans in rural, Indigenous and underserved communities each year,” ACF chief executive Wendy Beauchesne said in a press release.
Beauchesne emphasized the importance of early lung cancer detection in particular. It is the province’s second most frequently diagnosed cancer in the disease group and the top killer.
“The best way to treat cancer is to catch it early and these mobile units will help those living in rural and remote communities who are at risk of developing lung cancer,” she explained in a LinkedIn post. “We need to do more, but this is a start.”
Alberta’s government will be providing C$1.5 million to support this work. The ACF will contribute an equivalent sum.
This morning, I am joined by Wendy Beauchesne, CEO of the Alberta Cancer Foundation, and Theresa Tang, co-founder and CEO of 19 to Zero, to announce the expansion of lung screening services in underserved communities across Alberta. https://t.co/gqdMlxKwlS
— Adriana LaGrange (@AdrianaLaGrange) September 25, 2024
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Cancer care leaders host panel talk at U of C
At the University of Calgary on Thursday, a discussion titled “Revolutionizing Cancer: Where Hope Meets Innovation” was held. It was part of the Health and Life Sciences Showcase & Awards Dinner.
Speakers included the founder of Alberta Cellular Therapy & Immune Oncology, Doug Mahoney; Scientific Director of Cancer Research & Analytics at Cancer Care Alberta, Dr. Paula Robson; and Merck Canada’s economic director Virginie Giroux.
The University of Calgary is known for conducting innovative lung cancer research.
The school’s researcher Dr. Aaron Goodarzi is renowned for studies on radon gas and how it boosts the likelihood of contracting the disease.
Furthermore, the institution’s professor Dr. Alain Tremblay is the medical lead of the Alberta Lung Cancer Screening Program launched two years ago.
The Glans-Look lung cancer research program, a collaboration between the university and Alberta Health Services, has one of the largest databases on the disease in the entire continent.
rowan@mugglehead.com
