When MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researcher Marvella Ford, Ph.D., and colleague Nestor F. Esnaola, M.D., a senior leader at Houston Methodist Hospital, began a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that aimed to increase surgery rates among Black Americans with early-stage lung cancer, they were shocked to uncover how difficult it was to find 200 patients who were eligible to enroll.

Despite expanding recruitment locations from just five cancer center sites in South Carolina and Georgia to community-based cancer centers across the U.S., most Black patients who were diagnosed with lung cancer at the study sites had already progressed to stage 3 or 4 disease.

For Ford and Esnaola, the finding was a stark reminder of the disparities that exist when it comes to lung cancer screening and treatment.

“It took us over six years and 22 sites across the country from Delaware to Nevada to reach our accrual goal, and that made us take a long, hard look,” said Ford, associate director of Population Sciences and Cancer Disparities at Hollings.

“We had a number of study participants who were enrolled simply because of incidental findings. They broke their leg and went to the hospital, or they thought they had the flu and had a chest X-ray, which ended up finding lung cancer. These findings highlight the need for a national lung cancer screening program so we can reach the medically underserved and communities of color that are most at risk of developing lung cancer.”

Lung cancer incidence and mortality rates in the U.S. vary by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and sex. Causing more deaths each year than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined, lung cancer has a particularly low five-year survival rate, partially because about 75% of patients are diagnosed with late-stage disease, when the possibility of a cure is less likely.

Evidence has shown that lung cancer screening in individuals at high risk due to their age and smoking history can result in as much as a 24% decrease in mortality. Current screening guidelines, however, don’t consider racial, ethnic, socioeconomic or sex-based differences in smoking behaviors and lung cancer risk, leaving those who are most vulnerable without equitable access to screening, said Ford.

At Hollings, Ford and Esnaola are analyzing data from their study that examined whether assigning a patient navigator to Black Americans with lung cancer could help address the transportation, social and financial barriers that may prevent some of these patients from receiving much-needed surgical treatment. Ford also leads a range of community outreach efforts aimed at understanding and reducing the cancer burden among the state’s most vulnerable populations.

Additionally, Hollings offers a comprehensive Lung Cancer Screening Program that merges screening services with a robust tobacco treatment program, offering providers an opportunity to have a conversation with high-risk patients about the dangers of smoking and to link them with specialized counselors.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences recognizes

Benjamin E. Saunders, Ph.D.

for his thirty-six years of distinguished service, lifetime contributions to child traumatic stress research, and international leadership in improving mental health access for child trauma victims.

Thank you for your hard work and dedication, Dr. Saunders!

FENTANYL URINE TEST NOW OFFERED BY

THE CLINICAL NEUROBIOLOGY LAB (CNL)

The use of the powerful opiate drug, FENTANYL is on the rise, accounting for a large share of overdose deaths in SC, and the greater US.

Previously, urine drug testing at MUSC could not detect Fentanyl use. The Clinical Neurobiology Laboratory has recently completed an extensive validation of a qualitative (positive vs negative) urine test for the presence of Fentanyl which can be used to distinguish this drug from other commonly used/abused opiates such as oxycodone, buprenorphine and morphine. This test should aid clinicians in the evaluation of patients in multiple clinical settings, especially when illicit drug use is suspected.

Simply order: “Fentanyl, Urine, Qual (IOP LAB)” or “LAB9066”

Testing a Wearable Telemedicine-controllable

taVNS Device for NeuroCovid Recovery and Rehab

Researcher: Mark George, M.D.

PRO Number: pro00101270

The purpose of the research is to test out a new form of treatment where we stimulate a nerve in your ear. This is called transcutaneous (through the skin) auricular (ear) vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) which means that you will receive stimulation through the ear. The taVNS device looks like an ear bud you would use with your smart phone or computer. We are investigating whether or not taVNS can treat neurologic symptoms of COVID-19 which are termed NEUROCOVID. Some symptoms you may experience are new onset anxiety, depression, vertigo, loss of smell, headaches, fatigue, irritability, etc. This study is entirely online and all assessments will be completed virtually.

Recruitment Contact

Sarah Huffman

843-876-5141

huffmans@musc.edu