More recruits needed for cancer screening in Sudbury

Health Sciences North is looking for more participants for a lung cancer early detection pilot program.

Last year, the hospital in Sudbury, in partnership with Cancer Care Ontario, launched its lung cancer screening program for high risk individuals.

HSN was one of three hospitals in Ontario to take part, along with Lakeridge Health in Oshawa and the Ottawa Hospital.

The idea for the pilot program of a large trial in the United States, which determined that low-dose CT scans, performed on people of certain ages and smoking history, could have been abnormalities that could lead to lung cancer.

Dr. Amanda Hey, Regional Primary Care Lead for the Northeast Cancer Center, says it is important, especially in our region.

"In the northeast, we have higher incidence rates for lung cancer than the rest of Ontario," she says.

"That's partly because we have higher rates in the province of Ontario than the rest of the province."

Hey says when the opportunity for the trial is tested in pilot sites, the hospital in Sudbury was up for luck.

The pilot program is designed to help you find the right lung cancer screening program in Ontario.

Early detection could lead to reduction in deaths

When the pilot was launched last year, he said he was more interested in potential participants than the program had the ability to handle. That meant longer wait times for patients.

She adds that in 2018, the program received additional capacity to take more patients to have low dose CT scans.

"We were granted increased capacity to double the number of low dose CT spots." So we just want to get the word out, "Hey says.

Evidence found in the trial so far that the lung cancer can be reduced by 20 percent through early detection.

Hey, this is especially important because cancer patients often do not have a long survival rate.

"Most lung cancer cases are diagnosed at a late stage, where it's already spread to other organs," Hey says.

"That's why we have very poor survival of lung cancer at present."

She adds the rationale behind screening for cancer, then the patient can be treated.

"No guesswork any longer"

Marcel Gravel participated in the pilot.

He says he was glad he did not know what the test was able to find. After being referred to the pilot by his healthcare provider, the screening revealed nodules on his lungs.

"That was really an awakening for me."

"We are moving towards taking biopsies and checking it out to find out that fortunately, [the nodules were] benign. I was one of the fortunate ones, "Gravel says.

He comes from a large family of smokers, most of whom he says quit now. Gravel says he's lost a brother-in-law to lung cancer.

While smoking, Gravel says there was always an afterthought about what could happen to him.

"If you've been smoked for a long time, and you've got a lot of things going on, you're always going back, "Gravel says.

When the opportunity came up to the pilot, Gravel said it was. He also adds that he did not know what the process was like to detect lung cancer before he became involved in the project.

"I have come to find out a CT scan was far, much better, much more efficient, and more likely," he says.

"I think it's a major, major step forward."

Participants who are interested in being a part of the program, and are between the ages of 55 and 74 with a smoking history, can contact Health Sciences North.