BRG Receives American Cancer Society Grant to Help Remove Barriers to Lung Cancer Screenings
BATON ROUGE, La. – Baton Rouge General (BRG) has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the American Cancer Society (ACS) aimed to reduce barriers that can keep people from getting screened for lung cancer early, including cost and transportation challenges.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Louisiana, and the state ranks among the worst in the country for diagnosing lung cancer early. Low-dose CT scans are a quick, easy way to screen for lung cancer. They can detect cancer early, when it’s most treatable, long before symptoms appear.
The grant falls under the ACS Screening Initiatives program, partnering with health systems across the nation to promote and deliver cancer screening appropriately, safely and equitably.
“Louisiana is below the national average for screenings, and that’s something we’re working to change,” said Dr. Roy Culotta, a pulmonary medicine physician at BRG. “Low-dose CT scans are one of our most powerful tools against lung cancer, reducing the lung cancer death rate by up to 20 percent.”
Current or former smokers are at the highest risk for lung cancer. For those that qualify based on a combination of age, how long and how heavily they smoked, low-dose CT scans can recognize tiny nodules on the lungs long before you show any symptoms. The scan is non-invasive and works just like a regular CT scan but with a significantly lower radiation dose, which decreases the risk associated with annual or more frequent examinations.
If a nodule, or mass, is found on the lung, BRG’s multidisciplinary team is there every step of the way, providing streamlined care coordination, a comprehensive treatment plan, support from nurse navigators, and the latest robotic technology if surgery is needed.
For more information or to see if you are eligible for a screening, click here.
About Baton Rouge General Medical Center
Baton Rouge General Medical Center is the area’s first community hospital with over 600 licensed beds between three campuses. Baton Rouge General opened its doors in 1900, and has provided the Greater Baton Rouge community with high-quality healthcare for generations. An accredited teaching hospital since 1991, Baton Rouge General is affiliated with several medical school programs, and offers other medical education programs, including a School of Nursing, School of Radiologic Technology, Family Medicine Residency Program and Internal Medicine Residency Program. For more information, visit BRGeneral.org, find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/BatonRougeGeneral and follow us on Twitter @BRGeneral and Instagram @batonrougegeneral.
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