Early Lung Cancer Detection

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual lung cancer screening (LCS) with low-dose CT for adults aged 50-80 with a ≥20 pack-year smoking history who currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years. Despite insurance coverage, only 17% of eligible Iowans were screened in 2024. Barriers include the complexity of screening and competing demands in primary care. To address these challenges, investigators propose a two-part intervention: a blood-based screening test to simplify LCS and a community pharmacist-led referral program integrated into routine pharmacy care. Eligible patients will be identified at Greenwood Pharmacy in Waterloo, Iowa. Interested individuals will be consented by a pharmacist and engaged in shared decision-making about LCS. Participants may decline screening, complete the DELFI Diagnostics FirstLook lung cancer screening blood test, or pursue CT screening through their primary care physician. Those choosing the blood test will be referred to Cedar Valley Family Medicine. Patients with a positive result will complete a standard shared decision-making visit with their PCP and, if appropriate, undergo confirmatory CT imaging. Patients with a negative result will enter a screening cohort and be re-screened annually for an additional year.

This study evaluates the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of using a blood-based liquid biopsy assay as a pre-screening tool before low-dose CT (LDCT) for lung cancer screening. By identifying individuals unlikely to have lung cancer, this approach aims to reduce unnecessary LDCT scans, radiation exposure, and healthcare costs, while improving early detection, particularly among high-risk individuals including never-smokers with a family history of lung cancer.