April 4, 2014
Inside
MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA
A DAY OF CELEBRATION
DENTAL RESEARCH
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Dental researchers shine at conference.
Preventive exams promote health, prevent disease.
4 Town Hall events 5
Meet Dan
8 YES kick off T H E C ATA LY S T ONLINE http://www. musc.edu/ catalyst
Surrounded by a flood of balloons and a festive ‘80s-themed atmosphere, MUSC fourth-year College of Medicine students, friends and family gathered March 21 to celebrate the next steps in their medical careers with Match Day 2014. While gathered at the Charleston Music Hall, students were presented with a sealed letter from the National Resident Matching Program and simultaneously they opened their letters which revealed their medical residency results. Read more about the Match Day event on page 9. photo by Anne Thompson, Digital Imaging
PREVENTIVE EXAMS
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Vol. 32, No. 33
Barriers to lung cancer screenings based on fear, coverage Staff Report The majority of current and former smokers would welcome screenings for lung cancer if their insurance covered the spiral computed tomography scans, according to research from Roswell Park Cancer Institute and MUSC published in the current issue of the journal, Lung Cancer. More than 1,200 adult current and former smokers were surveyed about their attitudes toward lung cancer screening with the use of a spiral CT scans. Current smokers (78.5 percent) and former smokers (81.4 percent) said they would be willing to be tested, if advised to do so by their physician. Reasons why smokers are not willing to be screened included: a lack of insurance coverage (smokers, 33 percent; former smokers, 25 percent) and a fear of being diagnosed with lung cancer (smokers, 33 percent; former smokers, 12.5 percent). Among former smokers, the most commonly cited reason for not having the screening was a belief that they did not have lung cancer. “These data provide insight for public policy makers and clinicians about the perceived risks and benefits of lung cancer screening among eligible populations. The results are consistent with previous studies
which have shown high enthusiasm from patients to undergo cancer screening if the procedure is recommended by their doctors and covered by their insurance,” said study author K. Michael Cummings, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Hollings Cancer Center. Andrew Hyland, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Health Behavior at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, agreed, “This study provides valuable information regarding the barriers to lung cancer screening including a lack of insurance coverage and speaks to the need for insurance companies to pay for this life saving test.” The recent National Lung Cancer Screen Trial reported a 20 percent reduction in mortality rate when lung cancer was diagnosed using spiral CT, compared to annual chest X–rays. Currently, only 17 percent of patients treated for lung cancer survive beyond five years. A number of professional organizations have recommended lung cancer screening with spiral CT, including U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, American Association of Thoracic Surgery and American Cancer Society. These recommendations can influence health insurance coverage for the procedure.
READ THE CATALYST ONLINE - http://www.musc.edu/catalyst