On the Road with LCI's Mobile Lung Cancer Screening Program

At Levine Cancer Institute, some of the innovations in cancer care begin with thinking “big” and bringing care to community members where they need it most: close to home.

LCI did just that, by transforming a bus into a mobile lung cancer screening unit with low-dose CT (Computerized Tomographic) equipment on board. LCI’s providers invite people with elevated risk for lung cancer for screenings on the bus at no cost to participants, right in their neighborhood. The mobile lung CT initiative, which now includes two vehicles, is part of a broader LCI Outreach & Disparities program known as LCI Lung B.A.S.E.S. for Life. The program provides patients with comprehensive wrap-around services, including tobacco cessation counseling, patient navigation, and connections to primary care and local resources that alleviate barriers to care, such as food insecurity and transportation.

As of this May, the mobile lung CT units have screened more than 2,400 people and detected more than 40 cases of lung cancer — 63 percent of which were early-stage cancers treated with curative intent. Importantly, the program also detected other, non-lung cancer types in 12 participants screened, leading to additional diagnoses.

These outcomes are encouraging, but they’re only a start. LCI’s researchers continue to study the effectiveness of the mobile lung CT units for early diagnosis of lung cancer in underserved populations. Initial findings were recently presented by LCI at a conference of the American Association for Cancer Research. The mobile units were recently designated as Screening Centers of Excellence by the Lung Cancer Alliance.

“It’s amazing to see the effect this program has had on local communities. We’re finding cancer early, educating individuals, and always discovering innovative ways to make our patients’ lives even better,” said Darcy Doege, clinical supervisor of the Mobile Lung Cancer Screening Program.

To learn more, visit AtriumHealthFoundation.org/CancerNews2023.

• Thanks to funding from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, LCI was able to join forces with Samsung Neurologica and Frazier Ltd. in 2017 to build a 35-foot mobile CT screening unit.

• The first mobile unit of its kind nation-wide, LCI's original lung mobile CT unit was so successful, a second unit was produced for LCI with support from The Leon Levine Foundation.

• Each lung bus also includes a waiting room and exam table, and its efficient design enables teammates to complete intake and screening in 30 minutes or less, with results available in 24 to 48 hours.