Blog

Improving Lung Cancer Detection: A Call to Action for Primary Care Physicians

Lung Cancer/X

Nov 24, 2024, 19:25

Improving Lung Cancer Detection: A Call to Action for Primary Care Physicians

Scott Jacobson, Healthcare Professional at Freelance, reshared a post by Nikki Audia, Lung Navigation Specialist at Physicians Regional Healthcare, on LinkedIn, adding:

“To my current and future primary care physician friends:

See discussion on Lung CA detection and share your comments so that we can improve on the abysmal 9% screening rate for eligible at risk patients.

Yes there are barriers – access, cost of CT, stigma and poor documentation of patient smoking history, inefficient guidelines, etc. Join our fight as Onco Swab works to help solve with a point of care nasal swab to monitor nodules and detect lung cancer early and easily.

However we cannot let this deter us from addressing this important and extremely susceptible population so that we are identifying Stage I vs Stage III+ and saving lives and resources.

Please pass along to other interested parties!”

Quoting Nikki Audia‘s post:

“Why Aren’t Primary Care Offices Talking to Patients About Early Detection?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately, especially here in Naples, Florida, where we have a large older population. Many of these individuals meet the criteria for early detection screenings, yet I’m noticing that this conversation isn’t happening as frequently as it should in primary care offices.

I’m not suggesting all doctors are missing this — but it seems to be a common gap. With risk factors like age, family history, military service, fire-fighting, or even exposure to second-hand smoke, many of us are at higher risk for conditions that can be caught early with the right screenings. Early detection is so important because it can make a life-saving difference.

I truly believe everyone who meets the criteria, or has a relevant history, should be screened — it could save lives. I’d love to hear your thoughts: Why do you think this discussion is overlooked, and what can we do to change it?”

Improving Lung Cancer Detection: A Call to Action for Primary Care Physicians