CHAMP Lung Cancer Screening Program

Overview

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.

The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual lung cancer screening (LCS) with low dose Computerized Tomography (CT) scans for adults aged 50-80 with a 20-pack year smoking history who are current smokers or who have quit within the last 15 years. Despite these recommendations and Medicaid/Medicare coverage, only about 17% of eligible patients were screened in Iowa in 2024. Barriers to implementing LCS are multifactorial and include patient and clinician barriers, specifically complexity of screening and primary care physician competing demands. To overcome these barriers, investigators propose a two-part intervention: first, a blood test, that reduces the complexity of lung cancer screening and second, a community pharmacist referral program that can be performed as part of routine care received in the pharmacy. LCS eligible participants will be identified in Greenwood Pharmacy in Waterloo, Iowa and invited to participate in a lung cancer screening study. If they are interested, the pharmacist will review the consent form with them, explaining the study and answering any questions they have. After the consent is signed, the participant will engage in a shared decision-making conversation about LCS with the pharmacist. As part of this conversation, patients will be told they are eligible for LCS and given three options: Decline to participate; agree to participate and get DELFI blood test; or agree to participate but decline blood test and pursue a CT scan with their PCP. Patients agreeable to the blood test will be referred to Cedar Valley Family Medicine, where they can receive the DELFI FirstLook Lung Cancer Screening Test. Those with a positive (elevated) blood test will have a standard of care clinic appointment with the primary care physician at Cedar Valley Family Medicine for a shared decision-making visit about LCS and if warranted, order confirmatory CT scanning which is standard of care and billed to the study. Patients with a negative blood test will be added to the "Screening Cohort" and approached annually for a total of 2 years to participate in screening.