Upal Basu Roy, Executive Director of Research at LUNGevity Foundation, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Thrilled to share research at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Quality Care Symposium from LUNGevity Foundation’s with Manmeet Ahluwalia, MD, MBA, FASCO + Miami Cancer Institute on barriers preventing lung cancer screening in Hispanic/Latinx community members.
What we found:
- Our survey of tobacco users across Florida revealed alarming gaps:
- Only 22.3% had ever received ANY cancer screening
- Just 5.2% had undergone lung cancer screening
- 8.1% reported COPD/emphysema diagnoses
Social Determinants of Health play a key role here
Transportation barriers emerged as a critical factor:
- 3.7x higher odds of chronic lung disease
- 60% less likely to have a primary care physician
- Lower willingness to use tobacco cessation resources
Fear of houselessness correlated with:
- 5.2x higher odds of COPD/emphysema diagnosis
- 2x more likely among non-cigarette tobacco
Healthcare delivery cannot happen in a vacuum. Transportation access, housing stability, and economic security aren’t just social issues. They directly impact cancer prevention and early detection.
Healthcare systems should integrate SDoH screening into patient care for screen-eligible populations. Connecting patients to resources should not be a “nice to have”.
So grateful to Fatma Nihan Akkoç Mustafayev, Khalid Qidwai, Logan Spiegelman, Diya Jayram, Maggie Varena, Rachelle Theodore, Michelle Futrell, Cynthia Thiry, and Shreyas Bellur for this collaboration. This is really the beginning of our work together to champion for high-quality care.”
Day 1 Highlights from ASCO Quality Care Symposium 2025
