TSET Awards Stephenson Cancer Center More Than $1.7 Million for Mobile Lung Cancer Screening Bus
Program will bring access to screening to rural Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 7, 2023) — The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) Board of Directors awarded more than $1.7 million to Stephenson Cancer Center (SCC) for a program that will increase access to lung cancer screening across the state.
With TSET’s support, SCC will develop the Oklahoma Mobile Lung Cancer Screening Action Network (Oklahoma LUNG SCAN), a statewide program that will enable Oklahomans to be screened in their home communities. Oklahoma LUNG SCAN will bring screening access to communities via medically equipped buses.
“TSET’s partnership with the Stephenson Cancer Center has profoundly affected the lives of countless Oklahomans through their support of access to cancer clinical trials and cancer research,” said Dr. Mannel, SCC director. “The LUNG SCAN program builds on this by bringing state of the art mobile screening for lung cancer to communities throughout Oklahoma”.
Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in the United States, accounting for approximately 22% of all cancer deaths. Although treatable if found in early stages, it is often diagnosed long after it has spread.
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.
Oklahoma's rate for lung cancer screening is 5th worst in the nation, and the state has the highest rate of death after diagnosis.
“Many Oklahomans, especially those living in rural areas, lack easy access to hospitals that offer lung cancer screening,” said Marshall Snipes, chair of the TSET Board of Directors. “This new program through Stephenson Cancer Center will bring lifesaving cancer screening to parts of rural Oklahoma where it’s most needed.”
Screenings are fully covered by public and private insurance and are quick and painless.
For those who test positive, Oklahoma LUNG SCAN will connect them directly to services for diagnostic follow-up testing, and, if needed, cancer treatment. It also will link participants who smoke to tobacco cessation services, including the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline and the TSET Health Promotion Research Center.
“There is no doubt that early detection is key to long-term cancer survival,” said Julie Bisbee, TSET executive director. “This program will give thousands of Oklahomans access to screening that can save their life.”
The long-term goal of Oklahoma LUNG SCAN is to improve health in all communities by reducing barriers to screening and early treatment. Studies show lung cancer screening among those at high risk reduces cancer death rate by up to 20%.
The program will begin in 2024 and be fully implemented across the state by 2028.
For more information about TSET, visit Oklahoma.gov/TSET.
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The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, cultivating innovative and life-changing research and working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public’s health. To learn more, visit Oklahoma.gov/TSET.