Recent publications

Uneven lung cancer screening rates show opportunities for improvement 

A new study by researchers including Dr. Devika Das, chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and CCRI’s associate director of clinical affairs, highlights wide variation and persistent inequities in lung cancer screening among veterans in the years before the Department of Veterans Affairs launched its Lung Precision Oncology Program.  

The findings, published in the June issue of Chest Pulmonary, establish the first comprehensive, pre‑implementation baseline for understanding how screening was delivered across the country from 2014 to 2019. 

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer‑related death in the United States, and early detection through low‑dose CT screening significantly improves survival. Veterans face higher smoking rates and higher lung cancer incidence than the general population, making access to screening especially critical. 

Using data from more than 1 million veterans eligible for screening across 130 VA medical centers, the research team found that 78.8% of eligible veterans did not receive a screening exam during the study period. Nearly one‑third of VA facilities had no evidence of screening at all, and another third reported screening rates below 10%. 

This wide variation highlights structural differences in how screening programs were implemented before the program was launched. High‑performing sites demonstrate that systematic screening is achievable within the VA system. 

Chronic pulmonary disease emerged as the strongest clinical predictor of screening, which the authors note is consistent with smoking‑related risk patterns. Veterans with higher overall comorbidity were more likely to be screened, while those with advanced illness were less likely, suggesting that clinicians were weighing the appropriateness of screening based on competing health risks. 

Study highlights rural and income‑driven survival gaps in rare sigmoid colon cancer 

A new study by a team including Dr. Fazlay Faruque, professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at UMMC,  Dr. Md Roungu Ahmmad, who earned a master's and PhD in biostatistics and data science from UMMC and is an assistant professor at the University of South Florida, and Dr. Rod Rocconi, Ergon Chair for Cancer Research and CCRI director, examines how geography and socioeconomic status shape survival for patients with rare sigmoid colon adenocarcinoma variants.  

The research was published in Cancer Causes & Control.  

Using data from more than 93,000 patients in the SEER registry, researchers found that rural residence and lower median household income significantly worsen survivability for this already understudied cancer type. 

The team reports that “a higher degree of rurality was significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality.” Patients living in rural counties with lower incomes faced higher mortality risks compared with those in urban areas with median household incomes of $100,000 or more.  

The study also shows that the combined effects of rurality and income create compounded disadvantages. The poorest survival was observed among low‑income patients in rural (RUCC 4, or a population of 20,000 or more) counties, where five‑year survival dropped to 54 percent. In contrast, the most favorable outcomes occurred among higher‑income patients in RUCC 2 counties (metro counties with a population of 250,000-1 million), with five‑year survival exceeding 60 percent. 

These findings underscore the barriers faced by rural and lower‑income patients, including reduced access to care and travel hardships. As the study concludes, the results “highlight the compounded impact of rurality and socioeconomic disadvantage, underscoring the need for targeted interventions.”