The University of California Lung Cancer Consortium and AstraZeneca announced a five-year partnership to expand the Healthy Lungs California initiative, which is aimed at increasing early lung cancer detection and reducing deaths from the disease. 

Addressing the early lung cancer detection and screening gaps

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Despite the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s issuing updated guidelines in 2021 that increased the number of people eligible, screening rates are extremely low. The Healthy Lungs California initiative was launched following findings by the American Lung Association that high-risk individuals were being screened through low-dose CT scans at less than five percent nationally and less than one percent in California, giving the state the lowest screening rate in the country.

The new guidelines describe high-risk individuals as eligible for lung cancer screening if:

• They are 50-80 years old
• Smoked 20 “pack years” (smoked a pack of cigarettes a day per year)
• Still smoke or quit within past 15 years

A collaborative approach to early lung cancer detection and screening

This five-year partnership brings together researchers from across five University of California campuses—UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC San Diego and UCSF—coordinated through the UC Lung Cancer Consortium and led by Amy L. Cummings, M.D., Ph.D., a thoracic oncologist and research scientist at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. The collaboration will address current barriers to early lung cancer detection and screening.

“This important initiative allows us to address critical gaps in screening and assess environmental factors—such as the impact of pollution and wildfires—that may increase lung cancer risk,” said Jonathan Goldman, M.D., chair of the UC Lung Cancer Consortium. “Together with AstraZeneca and community members, we will be working to expand our efforts further to help improve early lung cancer detection screening rates.” 

As part of this work, a new California Lung Cancer Coalition will further the Healthy Lungs California initiative by bringing together UC Lung Cancer Consortium researchers with health care professionals, researchers and community advocates from other health systems and advocacy organizations to partner on advancing policy change, expanding lung cancer early detection and screening programs, and exploring innovative detection methods.

“By working together, we have a unique opportunity to break down barriers to early lung cancer detection and screening to improve outcomes for thousands of Californians,” said Arun Krishna, vice president, head of lung cancer at AstraZeneca. “Through education, advocacy and research, we aim to drive meaningful change.”

Working to expand efforts and drive innovation

The Healthy Lungs California initiative will focus on:

• Supporting the expansion of community education and outreach efforts through grants, branding support and expertise for events designed to improve early lung cancer detection and screening among high-risk individuals
• Helping organizations start early lung cancer detection and screening programs in their communities through grants, best practice sharing and toolkits 
• Addressing health disparities by identifying interventions to improve early detection rates in communities that have disproportionately high rates of lung cancer
• Exploring innovative early lung cancer detection and screening approaches, such as pilot programs trialing AI-assisted incidental pulmonary nodule (IPN) review, to help avoid bottlenecks caused in communities that have medical expertise shortages
• Informing public policy with actions such as sharing insights and scalable solutions to help shape early lung cancer detection and screening policies in California and nationwide
• Evaluating early lung cancer detection in situations particularly relevant for Californians, such as in those with a history of environmental exposure to wildfires, air pollution, and/or first-degree relatives diagnosed with lung cancer

Engaging community partners in the fight against lung cancer

Community partners in the work will have input into the initiative through a partnership steering committee, comprising representatives from the UC Lung Cancer Consortium, AstraZeneca and a Community Advisory Board. The partnership is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards while prioritizing innovation, service expansion and equitable access to lung cancer early detection and screening.

About the UC Lung Cancer Consortium

Founded in 2021, the UC Lung Cancer Consortium is dedicated to reducing the burden of lung cancer across California. As a collaborative network of researchers and clinicians from across UC’s five National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers and six medical schools, UC Lung Cancer Consortium advances lung cancer prevention, early lung cancer detection and screening, and treatment through research, education, and clinical practice.