St. Elizabeth Healthcare has now administered over 20,000 lung cancer screenings, a groundbreaking milestone for the regional healthcare provider. Their low-dose CT lung cancer screening program began in 2013 and has continued to grow since then.
“We screened seven patients in 2013 and more than 6,000 patients in 2021,” Michael Gieske, Director of the St. Elizabeth Lung Cancer Screening Program, said. “Lung cancer screenings are making a significant impact on our community and throughout the state of Kentucky.”
According to the American Lung Association’s (ALA) Annual State of Lung Cancer report, Kentucky has moved up to the number two spot nationally for lung cancer screening efforts. The ALA report also highlighted the rate of new lung cancer cases in Kentucky has improved by 11 percent over the last five years.
“Lung cancer has a poor five-year survival rate, but the St. Elizabeth lung cancer screening program is determined to change those statistics,” Dr. Gieske said. “The problem with lung cancer is twofold; it is an extremely aggressive, fast-moving cancer and we historically find it too late when it has become symptomatic and spread. When we catch lung cancer in its early stages on a CT scan, we can offer patients a much better prognosis.”
St. Elizabeth recently partnered with EON Health to help identify and track lung abnormalities for earlier lung cancer detection and management. The Denver-based health tech company utilizes Artificial Intelligence to review completed CT scans, X-rays and MRIs within St. Elizabeth and flag potential cancerous pulmonary nodules. EON’s technology enables St. Elizabeth to capture lung nodules with 98% accuracy and discover more patients at risk for potentially life-threatening disease.
“Annual lung screenings are the most effective way to identify lung cancer early when it’s most treatable,” Douglas Flora, MD, Executive Medical Director of the St. Elizabeth Cancer Center, said. “Combining screenings with EON software allows us to analyze internal data and improve lung cancer patient outcomes in our community.”
Most insurances cover the cost for patients who currently or formerly smoked such as Mary Leonard, who received the 20,000th lung cancer screen at St. Elizabeth.
“It’s so easy to get the screening,” says Leonard. “It’s harder to go to the dentist! I think everyone should get screened. The peace of mind when you get those all-clear results is fantastic,” says Mary. “But if by chance I would get lung cancer, at least we would catch it early when it’s easiest to treat.”
