Personalized lung cancer risk tool to boost screening and help people quit smoking
Official title: Precision prevention strategy to increase uptake and engagement in lung cancer screening and smoking cessation treatment
Funded at Washington University · NIH-11303257 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses a personalized risk profile to help current and former smokers—particularly underserved and African American patients—get lung cancer screening and stop smoking.
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 start | March 21, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $644,722 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA268030-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11303257 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults age 21 and older who are current or long-term former smokers, especially those getting care in underserved primary care clinics or who identify as African American, are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who never smoked, who are not eligible for lung cancer screening, or who cannot access participating primary care clinics are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
You would receive a personalized RiskProfile that combines clinical and genetic information to show your lung cancer risk and options for quitting smoking. Your primary care clinician would also see tailored information to prompt guideline-recommended screening and tobacco treatment. The team will deliver this tool in primary care settings and measure whether the combined patient- and physician-facing approach increases screening and treatment uptake. The focus is on reaching medically underserved adults and reducing gaps in care for African American patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help more eligible people get annual low-dose CT scans and effective tobacco treatment, lowering lung cancer deaths.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows personalized risk feedback and clinician prompts can improve screening and quitting, but combining genetic risk feedback with a multi-level tool is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Washington University
Saint Louis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ramsey, Alex Taylor — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Ramsey, Alex Taylor
Related research
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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.