How well lung cancer screening works for real-world patients
Official title: Learning about the effectiveness of lung cancer screening in real-world target populations
Funded at Dartmouth College · NIH-11377737 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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 type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Dartmouth College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hanover, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $249,000 |
| NIH project number | 4R00CA287059-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11377737 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
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.
✕Less likely to help
People with no smoking history or who fall well outside screening age or risk guidelines are less likely to be affected by this research.
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.
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 gone: 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
-
Dartmouth College
Hanover, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Robertson, Sarah E — Dartmouth College
- Study coordinator: Robertson, Sarah E
Related research
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Digital health strategies to expand lung cancer screening in safety-net clinics
A funded project aims to help low-resource clinics increase the use of lung cancer screening for patients who smoke or are at risk.
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Integrated approach to lung screening and quitting for African Americans
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-
Population health approach to boost lung cancer screening at community clinics
A large Utah project aims to help community clinics reach more eligible adults to get low-dose CT lung cancer screening.
-
Group-based tobacco treatment for older adults after lung cancer screening
A study tests a group-based tobacco cessation program for older adults who are getting lung cancer screening to help them quit smoking.
-
Personalized Lung Cancer Screening for Veterans
Aimed at improving who gets screened and how lung cancer is diagnosed among Veterans using personalized tools.
-
Proteogenomic framework to improve lung cancer screening with biomarkers
A biomarker-based approach aims to refine LDCT lung cancer screening so more cancers are caught early while reducing unnecessary procedures.
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.