US News & World Report: Lung cancer screening and COVID-19
UC study reveals drop in lung cancer screening during COVID-19 surge
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, many routine cancer screenings were put on hold. Now a new study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons suggests that lung cancer screenings have yet to rebound.
Robert Van Haren, MD, a University of Cincinnati Cancer Center researcher, assistant professor of surgery at the University of Cincinnati and a UC Health Thoracic Surgeon, led this research at UC.
"We looked back at our cancer screening program. It's a program that uses CT scans to find lung nodules and lung cancers early," he says. "It's an important program because it reduces cancer mortality related to lung cancer, because we find those cancers earlier and then patients do better. When we reopened, we found that new patients were less likely to come for their lung cancer screening. We also found patients were more likely to be a no-show for their appointments.
"Most importantly, we found when we resumed our lung screening operations, patients were more likely to have lung nodules that were suspicious for a cancer. Then, they were sent on to procedures or biopsies to confirm and treat the cancer."
Read the full HealthDay News/U.S. News & World Report story.
Stories were also reported by Local 12 and The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Read more about the study on UC News.
Featured photo by Colleen Kelley.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Stay up on all UC's COVID-19 stories, or take a UC virtual visit and begin picturing yourself at an institution that inspires incredible stories.
Related Stories
CDC issues new guidelines to help manage potential IUD pain
September 18, 2024
Some women have taken to social media with their experiences of pain when having an intrauterine device, or IUD, inserted. Now the Centers for Disease Control issued guidelines to urge health care providers to address the problem. Priya Gursahaney, MD, associate professor in the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, recently appeared on Cincinnati Edition on WVXU to discuss the role that IUDs play in reproductive health care.
$300K grant awarded to study airborne MRSA in health care...
September 18, 2024
University of Cincinnati researchers are working to minimize health care workers' exposure to infectious diseases. An Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation grant will fund a study on the presence of MRSA in the air in hospital settings.
Biomedical engineering student contributes to cancer research
September 18, 2024
University of Cincinnati PhD student Maulee Sheth has been named Graduate Student Engineer of the Month by the College of Engineering and Applied Science. A biomedical engineering student, she works in the Esfandiari lab on cancer tumor microenvironment research to better understand the disease. Through her time here, she has collaborated with researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and the UC College of Medicine.