How well lung cancer screening works for real-world patients

Learning about the effectiveness of lung cancer screening in real-world target populations

NIH-funded research Dartmouth College · NIH-11377737

This project combines medical claims, screening registries, and national survey data to find which lung cancer screening approaches help real-world patients the most.

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionDartmouth College NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Hanover, United States)
Project IDNIH-11377737 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Researchers will combine insurance claims, screening registry records, and prospective studies to learn how screening performs across diverse patient groups. They will create new statistical methods that let results from different data sources be translated into clear, causal estimates for nationally representative populations. The team will model different screening schedules and patterns of follow-up to identify strategies likely to reduce deaths in everyday clinical care. Results are intended to guide recommendations that reflect how people actually receive and adhere to screening outside clinical trials.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: People eligible for lung cancer screening—typically older adults with a significant current or past smoking history or those who have already undergone screening CTs—are most relevant to this work.

Not a fit: People with no smoking history or who fall well outside screening age or risk guidelines are less likely to be affected by this research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: Could lead to screening recommendations that better match real-world patients and reduce lung cancer deaths.

How similar studies have performed: Large randomized trials like the NLST showed benefit in selected participants, but combining multiple real-world data sources with causal methods is a newer approach that remains less established.

Where this research is happening

Hanover, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Cancer ControlCancer Control ScienceCancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling NetworkCancers
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.