Abstract Rationale Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, accounting for 20% of all cancer fatalities. The American Cancer Society projects 226,650 newly diagnosed cases and 124,730 deaths in 2025—11% of new cancer diagnoses and one-fifth of cancer deaths. Lung cancer causes more deaths than colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined, most commonly affecting individuals aged 65-74 (median age 70). Though incidence rates have declined due to reduced smoking, it remains the second most common cancer overall. The overall 5-year survival rate is 27%, varying significantly by stage at diagnosis. Recognizing gaps in screening availability in suburban and rural areas, our community hospital system launched a Lung Cancer Screening (LCS) program in 2008 to achieve early detection and improve outcomes. We present our LCS program’s trajectory and document the achievement of stage migration, which substantially enhanced the detection of early-stage lung malignancies Methods Beginning in 2008 as a pilot study through the NLST and ILECAP initiatives, our LCS program screened about 300 patients yearly and has since expanded to conduct over 800 screenings every month. Results From 2008-2025, we conducted 52,000+ LDCT screenings on 17,000 patients: 51% male, 49% female; 98% over age 50. Most were current (54%) or former (43%) smokers, with 99.8% enrolled via physician referral. Of 901 patients (5.9%) undergoing diagnostic procedures, 653 (72.5%) had malignancy detected, yielding 591 lung cancers (3.1% of all screened patients), median age 69.3 years. Notably, 93% had smoking history; 7% never smoked. Early detection was evident: 210 cancers (35.5%) appeared on initial scans. Stage distribution showed: Stage I: 307 patients (63.3%), Stage II: 57 (11.8%), Stage III: 69 (14.2%), and Stage IV: 52 (10.7%). Additionally, 46 cases (7.8%) were small cell lung cancer with 17 limited stage and 29 extensive stage presentations. Critically, 75.1% of lung cancers were detected at early stages (I or II), indicating exceptional early detection success. Conclusion Our community-based LCS program exemplifies high-value care by delivering crucial early detection services. The 75.1% early-stage detection rate demonstrates remarkable success in stage migration, improving survival rates and expanding treatment options. This proactive, targeted healthcare intervention effectively prioritizes patient outcomes and represents the measurable impact of systematic screening programs. This abstract is funded by: None
R Su (Fri,) studied this question.