VCU news

By Cassie Williams Jones

Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center has been designated as a Lung Cancer Screening Center by the American College of Radiology, becoming one of the first in the state to earn the designation.

The ACR Lung Cancer Screening Center designation is a voluntary program that recognizes facilities that have committed to practice safe, effective diagnostic care for individuals at the highest risk for lung cancer.

In order to receive this elite distinction, a facility must be accredited by the ACR in computed tomography in the chest module, as well as undergo a rigorous assessment of its lung cancer screening protocol and infrastructure. Also required are established procedures for follow-up patient care, such as counseling and smoking cessation programs.

"The ACR Lung Cancer Screening Center designation is a further testament to our highly specialized team's unwavering commitment to provide the highest level of medical and radiologic expertise in the screening, early detection and management of  lung cancer,”said Mark Parker, M.D., chief of thoracic imaging in the VCU Medical Center’s Department of Radiology. “We are extremely pleased the ACR has recognized our program for our efforts thus far and we look forward to further opportunities to positively impact the lives of those current or former cigarette smokers in need of or desiring early screening for lung cancer with low-dose CT."

VCU Medical Center was the first major academic center in the state to develop and launch a multidisciplinary team approach to the screening and early diagnosis of lung cancer in high-risk individuals. This screening program has further served as a model for at least six other lung cancer screening centers across the nation.

Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography scans, and appropriate follow-up care, significantly reduces lung cancer deaths. In December 2013, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended screening of adults aged 55 to 80 years who have a 30 pack-per-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. Lung cancer is the nation’s leading cancer killer – taking the lives of more people each year than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.

The ACR, founded in 1924, is one of the largest medical associations in the country. The ACR devotes its resources to making imaging and radiation therapy safe, effective and accessible to those who need it. Its 36,000 members include radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, interventional radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians.

For more information about the Lung Cancer Screening Center designation, visit acr.org/Quality-Safety/Lung-Cancer-Screening-Center.