ACCC Rural Appalachian Lung Cancer Screening Initiative Fuels Increased, Early Cancer Detection

ROCKVILLE, MD – The Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) today released results of the last two years of initial work of the ACCC Rural Appalachian Lung Cancer Screening Initiative, which showed consequential gains in critical areas for lung cancer screenings.

Since the launch of ACCC’s Rural Appalachian Lung Cancer Screening Initiative in November 2023, lung screenings in rural Appalachia have increased by more than half (53%), resulting in ten lung cancer diagnoses.

“This was such rewarding work, confronting the deep disparities that exist in Appalachia. The teamwork we engaged in was phenomenal, and the results are nothing short of extraordinary,” said Michael Gieske, MD, Chair of ACCC’s Rural Appalachian Lung Cancer Screening Initiative Task Force. ”Together, we helped bring hope to those at risk for lung cancer in this region—and to those facing a diagnosis. We look forward to continuing to follow these communities and monitoring the progress and success still to come.”

ACCC’s Rural Appalachian Lung Cancer Screening Initiative was developed after extensive analysis and consultation with the country’s leading lung cancer specialists to determine where the program would be most effective. Two sites, Pikeville Medical Center in Pikeville, KY, and Buchanan General Hospital, in partnership with the University of Virginia, were chosen to pilot the program.

According to a National Cancer Institute report, lung cancer incidence and mortality rates exceed national averages of 38.4 and 30.2 per 100,000 persons, respectively, in an 11-county region in West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky.

Interventions included provider education, best practice alerts, patient portal reminders, outreach events, patient-facing banners, and screening packets, among other tactics.

The original goals of the ACCC initiative included:

• Identify and address challenges in implementing lung cancer screening programs in rural Appalachian communities,
• Innovate to increase guideline-abiding lung cancer screenings, and
• Assess patient-centered screening education communication strategies to overcome informational, literacy and cultural barriers.

The White House’s Cancer Moonshot initiative named the ACCC program as one of the five key private sector actions answering the Moonshot’s call to bring cancer screenings to more communities. Read more about ACCC’s Rural Appalachia Lung Cancer Screening Initiative here.

The Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) is the leading education and advocacy organization for the cancer care community. Founded in 1974, ACCC is a powerful network of 40,000 multidisciplinary practitioners from 2,100 hospitals and practices nationwide. As advances in cancer screening and diagnosis, treatment options, and care delivery models continue to evolve - so has ACCC - adapting its resources to meet the changing needs of the entire oncology care team. For more information, visit accc-cancer.org. Follow us on social media; read our blog, ACCCBuzz; tune in to our CANCER BUZZ podcast; and view our CANCER BUZZ TV channel.