AAMC Expands Lung Cancer Screening Program

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer, claiming more lives in Maryland yearly than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined. Only about 15 percent of lung cancers are diagnosed in the early stages when lung cancer is more likely to be cured with surgical treatment. Early detection is key to effective treatment.

Thanks to a grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) will expand lung cancer prevention and screening services within high-risk populations in Maryland counties including Prince George’s County. The foundation awarded the Geaton and JoAnn DeCesaris Cancer Institute at AAMC a three-year, $1.25 million grant to replicate and expand the medical center’s award-winning Rapid Access Chest and Lung Assessment Program (RACLAP). RACLAP is designed to quickly identify, evaluate and manage early stage lung cancer.

“The grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation will allow us to better reach and inform at-risk patients in our service area about the need for lung cancer screening, while providing desperately needed education and resources to help people quit smoking,” says Stephen Cattaneo, MD, medical director of Thoracic Oncology at AAMC.

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