Reducing the Lung Cancer Burden in Northeast Kentucky through an Academic Community Partnership: A Terminate Lung Cancer (TLC) Study

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.1 It is also the number one cause of cancer death in Kentucky,2 dramatically exceeding the national mortality rate (70.9 KY vs. 47.2 U.S. deaths per 100,000 across the 5 year period 2008-2012).3 As with other forms of cancer, the importance of early detection cannot be overstated: Most patients diagnosed with lung cancer today already have advanced disease (40% are stage IV, 30% are stage III); the current 5-year survival rate for all stages combined is only 16%.4 The 5-year survival rate is 54% for those diagnosed at a localized stage, however only 15% of lung cancers are detected prior to spread.5 Adding to the impact of late-stage diagnosis are the increased costs for care. Especially as late-stage diagnosis has been associated with lower SES,6,7 those costs are unfortunately incurred most often by those who can least afford it, such as those in rural areas