M. Masika1,2, M. Mahoney1,2, O. Lucas1,2, B. Bigham2,3, K. Attwood1,2, M. Reid1,2, L. Ansari1,2, W. Underwood1,2, D. Irwin1,2, C. Nwogu1,2 1Roswell Park Cancer Institute,Buffalo, NY, USA 2State University Of New York At Buffalo,Buffalo, NY, USA 3Howard University College Of Medicine,Washington, DC, USA
Introduction:
Lung cancer is the greatest cause of cancer mortality in the United States. This is in large part due to the late presentation of most cases. Previous efforts at lung cancer screening with chest radiography or sputum cytology were unsuccessful. The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) demonstrated that screening with the use of low-dose Computed Tomography (CT) reduced lung cancer specific mortality in academic centers. However, implementing lung cancer screening in a community setting may be challenging. Frequently, there is a delay between important research findings and adoption in an average clinical practice. This study surveyed primary care clinicians’ knowledge of lung cancer screening and promoted the use of screening guidelines.
Methods:
The target population consisted of primary care clinicians from four community based healthcare centers. A brief survey was conducted at the centers assessing the clinicians’ baseline knowledge about lung cancer screening. Promotion of national lung cancer screening guidelines was accomplished via interactive group educational sessions.
Results:
The study group included 18 physicians, 8 nursing practitioners and 2 physician assistants. Target accrual was 60 clinicians, but only 28 (46%) participated. 21% of the clinicians were not familiar with any effective screening modality. 39% of the clinicians reported being aware of screening methods, but had not incorporated them into their practice. 50% of the clinicians were uncertain about how the CT scans were to be paid for.
Conclusion:
There seems to be a knowledge gap about lung cancer screening in the average community primary care setting. Engaging primary care clinicians in survey studies or educational programs is challenging because of demanding clinical schedules. Creative strategies are required to overcome these challenges which may include online surveys, webinars and compensated focus-groups. A larger follow-up study will be performed to better understand these issues, with an ultimate goal of increasing lung cancer screening and changing the stage distribution of lung cancer.