Dr. Duncan PRIME grant

Physician-scientist aims to address disparities in lung cancer screenings

By Candace Gwaltney

Dec. 8, 2022

Lung cancer is the No. 1 cause of cancer mortality in the United States and disproportionately affects Black individuals. Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center physician-scientist Francesca Duncan, M.D., is determined to change that through her research on health disparities and lung cancer.

“Despite advances in early lung cancer detection through screening with low-dose CT scans, Black individuals continue to have the highest incidence and mortality rates of all racial groups affected by this disease,” Duncan explains.

“When I see my patients in clinic, I talk with them about disparities in lung cancer and risk factors pertaining to the development of this disease, because there are a lot of misconceptions around smoking and lung cancer,” she said. “The message I like to convey is that if you have lungs, you can develop lung cancer.”

Duncan’s research has shown that social determinants of health play a role in lung cancer incidence, treatment and mortality. She described social determinants of health as things within a person’s environment that contribute to the health of the individuals, such as having limited access to healthcare, growing up in poverty, education attainment, insurance status, and radon or secondhand smoke exposure.

Regarding health disparities in lung cancer, Black individuals have worse survival rates and are more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage when treatment options may be limited. That's why my research is crucial.
Francesca Duncan, MD

Duncan hopes to start addressing this disparity in lung cancer mortality among Black patients by increasing screening efforts with low-dose CT scans to catch cancer early thanks to a grant.

She received a $100,000 Primary Care Reaffirmation for Indiana Medical Education (PRIME) grant from the IU School of Medicine Office of Medical Student Education for her project, "Addressing Disparities in Lung Cancer: An Educational Curriculum for Trainees, PCPs, and Community Stakeholders.”

The project aims to educate primary care providers and trainees about lung cancer screening via low-dose CT scans and how to identify patients at high-risk for developing lung cancer.

Duncan and her collaborators will provide an educational curriculum on screening guidelines and who should be recommended for low-dose CT screening for lung cancer.

“To increase individuals going for screening, I think it really starts with the providers because we have built that trust with our patients,” Duncan said. “I recognize it's hard as primary care providers to talk with your patients about every issue when they come to clinic, but I think that there are some things that we can do to ensure that we're talking about those important things, such as screening.”

Additionally, Duncan and her team are partnering with an internal medicine clinic and a family medicine clinic to provide the lung cancer screening curriculum. They will work with a research coordinator to identify patients who are eligible for screenings and reach out to share information directly with those individuals. The hope is that patients will be prepared to discuss the screening with their primary care provider when they arrive at their appointment.

Dr. Duncan PRIME grant

Physician-scientist aims to address disparities in lung cancer screenings

Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center resources and social media channels

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