Roswell Park Expands Lung Cancer Early Detection Utilizing AI Software on Eddy

BUFFALO, N.Y. and DENVER, Colo. — Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is intensifying its efforts to increase lung cancer early detection in the greater Buffalo, New York, area by partnering with Denver-based Eon to leverage the health-tech company’s proprietary artificial intelligence patient management software. 

According to the American Lung Association, 44% of lung cancer cases are not caught until a late stage, when the survival rate is only 8%. In New York State, only 6% of people eligible are being screened for lung cancer — which involves a simple low-dose CT exam and can be crucial to early detection and treatment. 

Access to screening programs is a significant barrier contributing to the low lung screening rates for those at high risk of developing lung cancer. In late 2022, Roswell Park launched Eddy (Early Detection Driven to You) to reduce barriers to care and reach more patients, deploying a lung screening program on wheels to provide greater access in both the rural and urban communities they serve. 

Another challenge is the large number of lung cancers that go undetected because a person does not meet the established criteria for lung cancer early detection. About half of all lung cancers occur in individuals who are not considered at high risk for lung cancer. 

Lung cancer screening can be laborious and time-consuming, and often entails significant manual data entry. Eon’s lung cancer screening (LCS) patient management platform uses advanced AI to automate routine administrative tasks, without interrupting radiology workflows. Care teams are then able to focus on patients with significant findings while automating communication and follow-up care for low-risk patients. This not only improves patient care but will significantly increase Roswell Park’s ability to lung cancer screening program’s bandwidth. 

In leveraging Eon Patient Management (EPM) to longitudinally track and manage lung cancer screening patients, Roswell Park is able to improve outcomes by ensuring that more patients are aware they qualify for guideline-driven follow-up care.

“We’re excited about partnering with Eon. Together we’ve developed an innovative way to quickly enroll, screen and guide care for many patients, hopefully catching more cancers early,” says Mary Reid, PhD, Chief of Cancer Screening and Survivorship at Roswell Park. “We know there are thousands more patients who should be screened and aren’t, or who may have nodules that we can detect before they develop into an invasive cancer. As the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York, we look to every way to decrease the impact of cancer on our communities, and we believe we have an opportunity to save many lives with this program.”

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About Roswell Park:
From the world’s first chemotherapy research to the PSA prostate cancer biomarker, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center generates innovations that shape how cancer is detected, treated and prevented worldwide. Driven to eliminate cancer’s grip on humanity, the Roswell Park team of 4,000 makes compassionate, patient-centered cancer care and services accessible across New York State and beyond. Founded in 1898, Roswell Park was among the first three cancer centers nationwide to become a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and is the only one to hold this designation in Upstate New York. To learn more about Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Roswell Park Care Network, visit www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email ASKRoswell@RoswellPark.org.

About Eon:
Eon is a health data science company that utilizes computational linguistics, workflow automation, and tech-enabled virtual navigation services to track incidental findings across a variety of medical disciplines throughout the course of a patient’s health journey. Eon exists to ensure the right data reaches the right people at the right time to make patients healthier and health care affordable.