The American Lung Association (ALA) has launched an initiative to raise lung cancer screening awareness among Black and Brown Americans and women.
The project is supported by a grant from AstraZeneca and will not only will offer educational material to those eligible for screening but will also work to ensure that insurance firms comply with the expanded coverage mandated by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in February, the ALA said.
In March of last year, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) expanded lung cancer screening guidelines to include those between the ages of 50 and 80 with a 20 pack-year smoking history. The CMS followed suit soon after. These expanded guidelines translate to more than 14 million additional individuals eligible for lung cancer screening in the U.S., the ALA said.
![Axial images from unenhanced calcium score cardiac CT (left) and curved planar reformation images from CT angiography (right) show that higher long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with greater coronary artery calcium and more obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Top row: Images in a 68-year-old male patient with higher 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (7.9 μg/m3 for particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] and 17.4 parts per billion [ppb] for NO2) with extensive CAD (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] >1,000 and obstructive CAD [≥70% diameter stenosis]). Bottom row: Images in a 57-year-old female patient with lower 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (6.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 4.6 ppb for NO2) with no CAD (CACS = 0 and no obstructive stenosis).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/06/hanneman.r6SMLzkezo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
