Lung Cancer Alliance Salutes Roswell Park on Lung Cancer Screening Program

BUFFALO, NY — The Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) has recognized Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (Roswell Park) as a national leader on early detection of lung cancer.

The LCA commended Roswell Park and 80 other U.S. healthcare centers for offering lung-screening programs that adhere to the recommendations of The LCA National Framework. These centers are committed to providing clear, evidence-based guidance to patients and complying with comprehensive national standards for screening quality, radiation dosing and diagnostic procedures within a multidisciplinary care model.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommends annual low-dose CT, or computed tomography, screening for those at highest risk for developing lung cancer.

“Between 60 and 70 percent of lung cancer patients are diagnosed so late that they don’t have a surgical option,” said Mary Reid, PhD, Associate Professor of Oncology in the Department of Medicine and a member of the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Lung Cancer Screening. “That’s why screening is so important. When we detect lung cancer early, we find it when it’s most curable, and the difference that makes for patients and their loved ones is just enormous.”

Roswell Park offers a High-Risk Lung Cancer Program for those with any of the following risk factors: have been treated for lung, oral, throat or esophageal cancer; are 50 or older and have smoked more than a pack of cigarettes a day for at least 20 years, two packs a day for at least 10 years, or half a pack a day for at least 40 years; suffer from chronic lung disease, such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); have occupation-related asbestos disease; have a first-degree relative, such as a parent or sibling, who has had lung cancer; or have a history of substantial exposure to secondhand smoke. Also, in line with the NCCN guidelines, screening is available to people 55 or older who have smoked at least one pack a day for 30 years, or two packs a day for 15 years.

Laurie Fenton-Ambrose, LCA President and CEO, said the recognition from the Alliance rewards centers that provide safe, effective and compassionate care. “These doctors and medical centers must be congratulated for not waiting — but rather acting swiftly and responsibly to help address the questions, concerns and needs of the lung cancer community,” she said. “Thousands of lives are at stake, and these institutions are paving the way forward.”

For more information on Roswell Park’s High-Risk Lung Cancer Program, go to https://www.roswellpark.org/cancer/lung/about/high-risk-program or call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355). Primary care physicians can directly refer patients to Roswell Park for risk assessment and screening.  

For more information about the Alliance and LCA Framework, go to http://www.screenforlungcancer.org.

The mission of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. Roswell Park, founded in 1898, was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit Roswell Park’s website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email AskRoswell@Roswellpark.org.