PHILADELPHIA, PA (November 13, 2014)—Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States—claiming more lives each year than colon, prostate, ovarian and breast cancers combined. Now, with a draft decision memo announced just this week by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that would require Medicare to cover low-dose computed tomography lung cancer screening for high-risk beneficiaries between ages 55 and 74, many more patients will have access to screening for the disease. Approximately four million Medicare beneficiaries fit the eligibility criteria for screening.
"This is great news for the community at large and for our Center, which is on the front line every day delivering responsible screening to people in our region,” said Richard I. Fisher, MD, President and CEO of Fox Chase Cancer Center. "We are pleased that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recognizes the value of this lifesaving work and will ensure through this coverage decision that many more high risk patients will have access to screening."
The decision is largely aligned with the recommendations submitted to CMS in September by a coalition led by the Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA), the American College of Radiology, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and nearly 100 other professional societies, public health organizations, medical centers, and patient groups. Fox Chase Cancer Center was a signatory to the letter.
Fox Chase Cancer Center has been designated as a Lung Cancer Screening Center of Excellence by LCA. It is one of 250 such centers across the country that have agreed to follow specific protocols and core best practices to ensure the highest quality of screening and follow-up care.
“Working with screening centers of excellence across the country, we knew that screening was being done well and right,” stated Laurie Fenton Ambrose, LCA's President and CEO. "Now, we will focus our attention on making sure those who would benefit most from this screening actually get screened.”
The CMS draft decision is the last major piece in a long series of validations reaffirming the lifesaving benefits of lung cancer screening, scientifically proven in 2010 by of one of the largest randomized controlled trials in the history of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The NCI’s National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) confirmed that screening can reduce overall death from lung cancer, which is currently the number one cancer killer in the U.S. by at least 20 percent.
About Lung Cancer Alliance
Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA), www.lungcanceralliance.org, is committed to saving lives and accelerating research by empowering people living with or at risk for lung cancer. It has been a long-time proponent of lung cancer screening for high risk populations. LCA has earned a prestigious four star rating from Charity Navigator.