The University of Oklahoma is using a significant portion of a US$17.3-million-dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health to improve the Cherokee Nation’s lung cancer screening rate.
The rest of the sum will be put toward a series of initiatives to improve cancer outcomes among Native Americans more broadly. It was obtained by the institution last week.
“Lung cancer screening through a low-dose CT scan has been available and recommended for the past decade, but less than 10 per cent of those eligible have undergone the screening,” Mark Doescher, a professor from the school’s OU College of Medicine, said in a statement.
Improving lung cancer screening rates is the best way to prevent cancer deaths, Doescher explained. It is the number one cause of cancer fatalities in the state by far.
“This groundbreaking partnership with OU represents a significant step in truly addressing the cancer disparities that we see within our tribe and other tribal nations,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief, Chuck Hoskin Jr., said.
This isn’t the only lung cancer initiative the school is currently involved with. The University of Oklahoma will be co-hosting a lung cancer awareness run in the city of Norman on Nov. 16.
Breathe Deep TOGETHER is an event series being hosted in partnership with the LUNGevity Foundation: a leading non-profit dedicated to combatting lung cancer. The five-kilometre run will be held in New York City, Boston and Washington D.C. this fall too.
Native Americans are 73 percent more likely to die from cancer than the general population. @OUHealth researchers want to change that fact.
The National Institutes of Health awarded OU $17.2 million to help researchers improve cancer outcomes. #CancerResearch @StephensonCC pic.twitter.com/zmnALNEhBw
— Jordan Fremstad (@JordanFremstad) October 18, 2024
Read more: Breath Diagnostics takes aim at lung cancer with One Breath
Read more: Breath Diagnostics pioneers novel lung cancer breath test
Tulsa hospital utilizes Ion Endoluminal System
Early last year, Ascension St. John Medical Center started using an advanced robotic bronchoscopy tool developed by California’s Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG). This high-tech device has been continually gaining popularity abroad.
Health professionals at the Kansas City branch of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs just started using it. Also, a hospital in the United Kingdom.
The United States has been leading the way with innovative lung cancer diagnostics equipment. Low-dose CT scans have proved their worth, but less invasive radiation-free testing methods have emerged as superior alternatives.
Kentucky’s Breath Diagnostics Inc. is one of the notable companies excelling in the development of lung cancer screening equipment. Its OneBreath MicroReactor breath test system provides a non-invasive and accurate means of diagnosis.
Additionally, Texas-based bioAffinity Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: BIAF) has created a spit/mucus/phlegm lung cancer test that has drawn a significant amount of attention recently.
Also notable is Nevada’s Ludwig Enterprises Ord Shs (OTCMKTS: LUDG), a company that has developed the cheek swab test “Revealia” which will soon be hitting the market. It is currently available for pre-order.
The American Cancer Society recently conducted a study which found that only 18 per cent of those eligible for lung cancer screening bother to get themselves checked out.
rowan@mugglehead.com
