Identifying barriers to early diagnosis of lung cancer patients at the Cancer Hospital of Barretos.

• Grant number: 24/20701-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Fabiana de Lima Vazquez
• Grantee: Carolina Moraes Arvelini
• Host Institution: Hospital do Câncer de Barretos. Fundação Pio XII (FP). Barretos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Lung cancer remains the most common and lethal type of cancer in the world interms of incidence and mortality, and is also the most common in Brazil, according to the mostrecent data from the National Cancer Institute (INCA). Recent evidence suggests that lung cancerscreening is effective in reducing mortality among high-risk groups. At the Barretos CancerHospital (HCB), approximately 500 new cases of cancer are registered per year, many at anadvanced stage, due to the difficulty in early diagnosis. HCB, however, has been using a mobileunit equipped with a low-dose CT scanner (LDCT) for screening high-risk populations since 2019,being a pioneer in this modality in Latin America. Objective: To identify barriers to access to theLung Cancer Screening program in patients who were diagnosed by the program and by otherservices. Materials and methods: Observational study with lung cancer patients from the HCBlung cancer prevention program (HIGH RISK) and patients from the chest department diagnosedby other services, from 2023 to 2024, who will answer a structured questionnaire with questionsabout sociodemographic profile and access barriers and also with data collection in electronicmedical records. (AU)