Our Life-saving Lung Cancer Project: 111 Free Lung Cancer Screenings Provided Through Partnership with Kheir, Keck Medicine of USC & LA Downtown Lions Club

Our Life-saving Lung Cancer Project: 111 Free Lung Cancer Screenings Provided Through Partnership with Kheir, Keck Medicine of USC & LA Downtown Lions Club

In the summer of 2016, Keck Medicine of USC  pledged to provide 100 free low-dose CT screenings to Kheir Clinic patients in partnership with Los Angeles Downtown Lions Club. Participants of the study not only received a free low-dose CT lung screening at Keck Medicine of USC’s state-of-the-art Radiology Department, but also contributed to life-saving research that could improve lung cancer survival rates in their communities.

More people will die of lung cancer than breast, prostate & colon cancers combined:

There is a 20% relative 5-year survival rate for lung cancer in the U.S.
*   The 5-year survival rate is more than a 50% if cancer is detected in
stage I.
*   The survival rate is almost 90% for small stage I tumors; however, only 16% of patients present at stage I.

Lung Cancer Screening Collaborative

The screenings were administered to current and former smokers who met age and other smoking history qualifications, and thus, are at an increased risk for developing lung cancer.

“We targeted a very high-risk population faced with a lot of barriers to health care access. We hope to continue to educate these communities about the importance of early detection of lung cancer, as well as smoking cessation for the prevention of lung cancer.” —Chris Lee, MD (Keck Medicine of USC)

 

Surprising Results

*   111 Patients were screened.
*   42% of patients had abnormal screenings or other findings
*   20 patients had abnormal screenings
*   27 patients had other significant findings (e.g. interstitial lung disease, coronary artery disease, emphysema, or other masses found).
*   Participants’ detection rate for the lung nodule was higher than the national average by a margin of 4%.
*   Notably, participants’ rate of other clinically significant findings were much higher than the national average by a margin of 16.5%, likely due to a lack of access to these screenings in Kheir’s service area, compared to larger studies conducted throughout the United States.

On June 13, Kheir hosted a press conference to share the outcomes of this collaborative project, as well as the critical importance of increasing accessibility to these life-saving low-dose CT lung screenings. Dr. Chris Lee and Dr. Kyu Hahn spoke on behalf of Keck Medicine of USC, and David Kim, Dr. Jong Moon Lee and Kitok Park represented LA Downtown Lions Club.

Following the panel, Kheir presented certificates of appreciation to our partners for their tireless dedication on this initiative. This partnership supported vulnerable members of our community who so often face barriers to accessing lung screenings, despite being among those most at risk of developing lung cancer.

Early Detection Saves Lives

We are proud of our collaborative efforts to make this project a success!
To learn more about how you can support Kheir and our community
initiatives, contact us at info@lakheir.org<mailto:info@lakheir.org>.

To learn more about Keck Medicine of USC’s ongoing lung cancer study, which provides free lung cancer screenings for those who qualify, contact
Beringia Liu at Beringia.Liu@med.usc.edu<mailto:Beringia.Liu@med.usc.edu>.

 

News Coverage of the Project

Lung Cancer Program Success-Fact Sheet (English)

Lung Cancer Program Success-Fact Sheet (Korean)

*   Korea Daily
*   Korea Times
*   Herald Biz
*   KoreaTown Daily
*   Radio Korea
*   Radio Seoul
*   Woori Radio
*   YTN Radio
*   KBS
*   LA18

 

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