TSET staff in front of the new lung cancer screening unit.
A $1.7 million TSET grant is helping OU Health Stephenson Cancer launch a mobile lung cancer screening bus. The mobile unit was launched with a celebration in February, and will help bring early cancer detection and screening to communities across Oklahoma.
Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in the United States, accounting for about 22% of all cancer deaths. Although treatable if found in early stages, it is often diagnosed long after it has spread to other parts of the body.
New guidelines released in 2022 recommend annual screening for people who:
- have smoked a pack a day for 20 years or more
- are age 50 or older and still smoke or quit smoking in the past 15 years.
However, less than 5% of eligible Oklahomans screened.
“Bringing cancer screenings directly to Oklahomans in their home communities is crucial to improving outcomes,” said Robert Mannel, M.D., director of Stephenson Cancer Center and associate vice provost for cancer programs at the University of Oklahoma. “Oklahoma ranks in the top five states for lung cancer incidence, and we know early detection saves lives. This mobile unit eliminates transportation barriers and makes potentially life-saving screenings more accessible to our communities.”
Learn more about lung cancer screening and the mobile unit HERE.
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