Brock University model better predicts Indigenous people at risk of lung cancer in U.S. – PelhamToday.ca
Oct. 17, 2023
Martin Tammemägi’s model takes into consideration many more factors that quantify the probability someone will get lung cancer
A Brock University-designed lung cancer prediction model is more effective at identifying Indigenous individuals in the U.S. who should be screened for lung cancer than what is currently used in the country’s health-care system, according to a research paper published Oct. 9 in the journal Cancer.
Brock Professor Emeritus of Epidemiology Martin Tammemägi’s cancer prediction model identified up to 24 per cent more Indigenous and non-Indigenous people who needed lung cancer screening than the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) criteria.
Low-dose computed tomography (CT) lung cancer screening for high-risk individuals detects earlier stages of cancer, which is often cured by surgery. Without screening, most lung cancers are detected at an advanced stage, with most cases having low survival rates.
“Compared to the USPSTF criteria, my model takes into consideration many more factors that quantify the probability someone will get lung cancer, which is the basis for identifying people at high risk who will benefit from screening,” says Tammemägi.
