Friday, August 8, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Cancer

University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center and AstraZeneca partner to enhance community-based lung cancer screening and detection for Marylanders at high risk

April 17, 2024
in Cancer
Reading Time: 6 mins read
0
Lung Cancer Low-dose CT Screening
66
SHARES
596
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

With only a small percentage of Marylanders at high risk for lung cancer getting the recommended annual screening, the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC) launched a new statewide effort to increase annual screenings.

Lung Cancer Low-dose CT Screening

Credit: University of Maryland School of Medicine

ADVERTISEMENT

With only a small percentage of Marylanders at high risk for lung cancer getting the recommended annual screening, the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC) launched a new statewide effort to increase annual screenings.

The partnership also includes the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), where the cancer center is located, the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), and the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB).  

This public-private initiative, with up to $8 million in funding from AstraZeneca over the next five years, aims to enhance community-based cancer screening and early detection, leading to earlier diagnosis and more treatment options for patients.

“We want to ensure that all eligible Maryland residents undergo timely and cost-effective lung cancer screening,” said Taofeek Owonikoko, MD, PhD,  Executive Director of UMGCCC, a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center within UMMC. He is also the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Professor of Oncology at UMSOM. “Early detection can have a bigger impact on a patient’s chances of survival from lung cancer than chemotherapy or immunotherapy, yet only a few are advocating for it.”

The initiative aims to provide greater access to screening, particularly in underserved communities.

This partnership seeks to address:

  • Strengthening and expanding lung cancer screening programs and tobacco cessation efforts across the State.
  • Evaluating innovative and alternative approaches to improve early detection efforts among at-risk populations.
  • Harnessing technology to identify patients at risk, and those eligible for screening.
  • Ensuring timely and systematic sharing of scalable successes and lessons to drive public policy, and guide screening efforts in other cancer types beyond lung cancer and beyond Maryland.
  • Establishing a “Center for Cancer Health Equity” and a personalized cancer early detection and interception clinic model, to drive research in cancer health disparities with an emphasis on Maryland minority and rural communities.

As part of the initiative, the University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing (UM-IHC) and the State Health Information Exchange, called CRISP, seeks to leverage cutting-edge technologies to better understand the large population of screening-eligible patients and to develop innovative, cost-effective models for improved cancer prevention.

In widely accepted guidelines, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual lung cancer screening with a low-dose CT scan for individuals ages 50 to 80 who have smoked a pack a day for 20 years and currently smoke or have quit smoking within the past 15 years. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Maryland as well as in the U.S. It is frequently detected in the later stages after it has already spread. Smoking is a key risk factor, including for people who no longer smoke. Exposure to carcinogens like radon, second-hand smoke, or excess air pollutants can also raise a person’s risk.

While many Maryland residents are at high risk for developing lung cancer, very few are receiving screening services. Based on a preliminary analysis by AstraZeneca, Baltimore County, together with the city of Baltimore, ranks in the top counties in the U.S. for lung cancer risk. Ten additional counties in Maryland, including Montgomery, Howard, and Prince George’s, all have higher rates of lung cancer than the national average even though their smoking rates fall below the national rate.

“Low-dose CT screening can reduce lung cancer mortality by 20 percent in those at high risk, yet only about 3 percent of those who are eligible for screening are actually getting annual low-dose CT scans in Maryland, which is significantly lower than the national average,” said Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD,  who is the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean of UMSOM, and Vice President for Medical Affairs at University of Maryland, Baltimore. “As a practicing pulmonary and critical care specialist, I have witnessed the devastating impact of lung cancer on my patients’ lives, and as Dean of our medical school’s faculty physicians, I embrace our unique opportunity and responsibility to bring lung cancer screening to all the citizens of Maryland.”

The low lung cancer screening rate of just 3 percent compares to an estimated 83 percent of women in Maryland, ages 50 to 74, who receive annual mammograms to screen for breast cancer, according to data from the NCI.  

Addressing racial disparities in detecting and treating lung cancer will be a key part of this effort. Black patients with lung cancer are 15 percent less likely to be diagnosed early and are 16 percent less likely to survive five years after diagnoses compared to white patients, according to the latest data from the American Lung Association.

“The message is simple: Lung cancer screening saves lives,” said Bert W. O’Malley, MD, President and CEO of UMMC who is a practicing head and neck cancer surgeon. “It’s our single greatest weapon against this deadly condition. That’s why it’s so vitally important that we work to remove the barriers that prevent thousands of at-risk Marylanders from getting screened. This partnership will help improve the health and well-being of the community we serve.” 

Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President and CEO of UMMS, noted that UMMC and five member organization hospitals within UMMS currently offer low-dose CT lung cancer screening.  “We are excited to have additional locations within the University of Maryland Medical System join this initiative, which will expand and integrate our existing community screening efforts. Because of the scale and reach of our system, we will be able to reach Marylanders statewide, particularly those in communities at greatest risk,” said Dr. Suntha, who is also the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Professor of Radiation Oncology.  

The other five UMMS hospitals that offer low-dose CT lung cancer screening are University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie, University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson,  University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, University of Maryland Capital Regional Medical Center  in Largo, and University of Maryland Shore Regional Health in Easton.   

A steering committee of academic, industry and community partners will be established to help guide the effort. Dr. Owonikoko will manage and coordinate the project. He previously served as a paid medical advisor to AstraZeneca. He has not served as a paid consultant to the company since beginning his position at UMGCCC. He has two investigator-initiated clinical trials supported by the company.

“AstraZeneca is committed to eliminating lung cancer as a cause of death and we know that achieving that bold ambition begins with early detection and diagnosis,” said Mohit Manrao, SVP and Head of U.S. Oncology at AstraZeneca. “We’re pleased to partner with the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center to expand critical services to at-risk Marylanders, especially those in underserved communities.”

After the initial launch of the lung cancer screening effort, officials plan to expand the project to include breast, cervical and colon cancer screening within a few years.

“We want to bring everything that we learn through this partnership over the next five years to the wider oncology community, to say, ‘This is how we did it in Maryland. These are the lessons learned. If you want to do it, here is the recipe for you to do it,” said Dr. Owonikoko, a nationally recognized thoracic oncologist who specializes in treating patients with lung cancer. He was recently named a Cancer Equity Leader by the NCI.



Share26Tweet17
Previous Post

Arboviruses, mosquitoes and potential hosts tracked in real time in São Paulo city

Next Post

Probiotic feed additive boosts growth, health in poultry in place of antibiotics

Related Posts

blank
Cancer

Phase II Trial: Single vs Hypofractionated Breast Radiotherapy

August 8, 2025
blank
Cancer

Exploring Costochondral Junction Variations in Young Children

August 8, 2025
blank
Cancer

Weight Change Impact on Prostate Cancer Survival

August 8, 2025
blank
Cancer

Newborn Idiopathic Scrotal Hematoma: Case Study Insights

August 8, 2025
blank
Cancer

Symptomatic Progression-Free Survival: New Myeloma Measure

August 8, 2025
blank
Cancer

Revolutionary 3D CT Guide for Nasal Surgery

August 8, 2025
Next Post
Ana Fonseca

Probiotic feed additive boosts growth, health in poultry in place of antibiotics

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27531 shares
    Share 11009 Tweet 6881
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    943 shares
    Share 377 Tweet 236
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    641 shares
    Share 256 Tweet 160
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    507 shares
    Share 203 Tweet 127
  • Warm seawater speeding up melting of ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ scientists warn

    310 shares
    Share 124 Tweet 78
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • Chinese Version Validated: São Paulo Sensory Scale
  • Phase II Trial: Single vs Hypofractionated Breast Radiotherapy
  • Financial Growth, Education, Industry Shape Ecological Footprints
  • What Controls Global Glacial Erosion Rates?

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,858 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading