How neighborhoods and Medicaid shape lung cancer survival for low-income patients
Impacts of Neighborhood Contexts and Medicaid Policy on Lung Cancer Survival in Low-SES Patients
This project looks at how neighborhood conditions and Medicaid coverage influence diagnosis, treatment, and survival for low-income people with lung cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11136228 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From your perspective, researchers will link Medicaid enrollment records and cancer registry data with neighborhood measures to see how where you live and whether your Medicaid stays active affect when lung cancer is found and what treatments you receive. They will compare patients before and after Medicaid expansion, examine continuity of coverage and whether Medicaid pays for screening, and track use of tobacco-cessation services alongside cancer care. The team will use geocoded addresses, treatment records, and statistical models to identify patterns of delayed diagnosis or under-treatment tied to neighborhood and policy factors. The goal is to point out specific barriers so local programs and policy changes can help people like you get earlier diagnosis and guideline-recommended care.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are low-income adults with non-small cell lung cancer or Medicaid enrollees whose diagnosis stage, treatment use, or insurance continuity can be followed in registry and claims data.
Not a fit: People without lung cancer, those who are privately insured, or individuals outside the geographic areas or datasets used are unlikely to directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could guide policy and local programs to improve early detection, treatment access, and survival for low-income lung cancer patients.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work has linked Medicaid expansion to earlier detection and better survival in lung cancer, but combining neighborhood context and Medicaid continuity in the same analysis is less common.
Where this research is happening
Saint Louis, United States
- Washington University — Saint Louis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liu, Ying — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Liu, Ying
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.