Minnesota Cancer Clinical Trials Network Funds Hennepin Healthcare Lung Cancer Study in 2023 Grant Program
The Minnesota Cancer Clinical Trials Network (MNCCTN) is happy to announce the funding of a study, “Increasing Lung Cancer Screening Through Implementation Facilitation in a Safety Net Health System,” as part of the 2023-2024 MNCCTN Grant Program. The study is led by Haeshik Gorr, MD, internist with Hennepin Healthcare.
Dr. Gorr's study was awarded in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice category. Proposed trials in this category were required to address the cancer burden in underrepresented racial or ethnic minority populations in Minnesota. This category was open to any investigator or community partners, and projects were not limited to a rural setting or to MNCCTN partners and sites. The project will receive $125,000 in funding for this award. Dr. Gorr will work with the MNCCTN HUB on development and implementation of the study at Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS) over the next year.
Dr. Gorr's study will estimate baseline lung cancer screening rates in HHS. Then, the study team will train a patient navigator with the skills to increase lung cancer screening utilization. When the patient navigator intervention is implemented, the team will test the efficacy for increasing lung cancer screening uptake by targeting eligible patients.
Lung cancer is one of the most common and deadly cancers in the United States and in Minnesota. Lung cancer can be screened for with low-dose computed tomography for eligible patients. This can detect lung cancer at early stages. However, lung cancer screening rates remain low. The national average lung cancer screening rate is just 5 percent, while the Minnesota rate is 8%. The ultimate goal of Dr. Gorr's study is to improve lung cancer screening rates among a diverse population in HHS, a safety net health system.
The MNCCTN Grant Program, first launched in 2021, offers several different award options regularly. The program aims to develop research that addresses the unique cancer burden of Minnesotans, encourage community-driven research, increase capacity of MNCCTN sites, develop sustainable collaborations between community-based organizations and academic researchers, and expand the culture of research across Minnesota. To learn more about the program and previously funded projects, visit the MNCCTN Grant Program webpage.
About MNCCTN
The Minnesota Cancer Clinical Trials Network (MNCCTN) is a cancer clinical trials network with locations across Minnesota. The network is funded by the Minnesota legislature as part of the University of Minnesota's MnDRIVE Program. Led by the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, MNCCTN and its partner organizations aim to improve cancer outcomes for all Minnesotans through greater access to cancer clinical trials in prevention and treatment.