Safer follow-up for small lung nodules found on CT scans
Official title: Optimizing Lung Cancer Screening Nodule Evaluation
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11140352 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares smarter follow-up plans for people who have small spots (nodules) found on lung cancer screening CT scans.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2021 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $700,213 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA260889-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11140352 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults eligible for low-dose CT lung cancer screening—typically older current or former smokers—who have a nodule detected on screening CT.
✕Less likely to help
People not eligible for screening, people without lung nodules, or those already diagnosed with lung cancer are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
If a low-dose CT scan finds a nodule in your lung, this project looks for better rules to decide what happens next. Researchers combine nodule features seen on CT with patient details like age, sex, smoking history, and other health problems to estimate cancer risk. They will compare current guideline-based follow-up to new algorithms and use modeling plus real-world data to estimate outcomes such as cancers found early, extra imaging, biopsies, harms, and costs. The aim is to keep life-saving detection while cutting down unnecessary scans and invasive procedures.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could help catch treatable lung cancers earlier while reducing unnecessary scans, biopsies, and related harms.
How similar studies have gone: Existing tools like Lung-RADS and PanCan risk models have improved nodule management, but integrating broader patient factors into optimized, lower-harm follow-up algorithms is still being refined.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kong, Chung Yin — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Kong, Chung Yin
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
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.
-
Integrated approach to lung screening and quitting for African Americans
A multi-level program aims to boost LDCT lung cancer screening uptake and help African American smokers quit, with support from a comprehensive community-focused plan.
-
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.