WCLC 2025 - Posters & ePosters-P1.04.01 Stage Shift and Then Some - St. Elizabeth Healthcare's Notable Journey, 50,000 Screens Later

Pdf Summary

St. Elizabeth Healthcare, serving over 400,000 patients in Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana, launched its Lung Cancer Screening Program (LCSP) in 2013. By early 2025, the program completed over 50,000 low-dose CT (LDCT) screenings, identifying more than 500 stage I lung cancers. In 2024 alone, 151 lung cancers were detected via screening, with 72.2% at stage I and 76.8% at early stages (I or II). Since 2022, early-stage lung cancer diagnoses have consistently outnumbered late-stage cases, with late-stage cancers dropping by 26.4 percentage points over the past decade.<br /><br />The program’s success is demonstrated through stage migration analyses comparing screened versus non-screened patients. Between 2015 and 2024, 64% of screen-detected lung cancers were stage I—over twice the rate in the non-screened group. In 2024, 76.8% of screen-detected cancers were early-stage, significantly higher than in non-screened patients. Uptake of screening reached 51.7% of eligible patients in 2024, substantially exceeding the national average of 16%.<br /><br />St. Elizabeth’s multidisciplinary model incorporates weekly nodule review boards, three dedicated nurse navigators for care coordination, and a comprehensive tracking system for diagnostics, treatments, and outcomes across 41 screening sites and 247 primary care providers. A team of twelve RN outreach specialists supports patient follow-up and adherence. This team-based, data-driven approach has cultivated a culture emphasizing early detection, improved provider engagement, and consistent multidisciplinary collaboration.<br /><br />The program’s achievements surpass clinical trial benchmarks and demonstrate that community-based lung cancer screening is feasible, scalable, and transformative. St. Elizabeth’s experience provides a model for reducing late-stage lung cancer diagnoses, improving survival, and reshaping lung cancer care pathways nationally.

Asset Subtitle

Michael Gieske

Meta Tag

Speaker Michael Gieske

Topic Screening and Early Detection

Keywords

St. Elizabeth Healthcare

Lung Cancer Screening Program

low-dose CT screening

early-stage lung cancer detection

stage migration analysis

screening uptake rate

multidisciplinary care model

nurse navigators

community-based screening

lung cancer survival improvement