Florida Lung Health Coalition, with Support from DELFI Diagnostics, RadNet, Inc., and The American Lung Association, to Launch a Revolutionary Lung Cancer Screening Program Focused on Early Detection

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a groundbreaking alliance announced today, the Florida Lung Health Coalition and DELFI Diagnostics, supported by RadNet, Inc. (NASDAQ: RDNT), and the American Lung Association, are collaborating to launch a pioneering initiative to transform lung cancer screening and detection in Florida. 

This new program, announced ahead of Lung Cancer Awareness Month in November, aims to significantly boost early detection rates in Florida where lung cancer screening rates are at only 15.8%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.¹ The initiative will be funded through grants and corporate sponsorships by the partners, and it brings together leading healthcare organizations to address the critical need for accessible and efficient lung cancer screening.

Eligible patients of primary care practices affiliated with the Florida Lung Health Coalition will be offered the FirstLook Lung test—a simple, convenient, and highly sensitive blood test. If a FirstLook blood test result returns "Elevated," the individual will be referred to a low-dose CT (LDCT) scan. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines recommend annual lung cancer screening for individuals who are 50 to 80 years old, who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years.

"This collaboration represents a significant step forward in our fight against lung cancer," said Dr. Mathew Ninan, Director and National Co-Chair of Thoracic Oncology, HCA-Sarah Cannon Cancer Network, and Board President of Florida Lung Health Coalition. "By combining our expertise and innovative technologies, we're creating a model that could revolutionize how we approach early detection."

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the five-year survival rate for lung cancer is 64% when the cancer is detected early.² This contrasts with the 9% survival rate for late-stage lung cancer. This initiative aims to introduce a new blood-based, patient-preferred testing option³ that may increase screening rates among high-risk populations.

"While lung cancer leads all cancers in mortality, fewer than one in four cases are diagnosed at an early stage," said Tim Merchant, Executive Director of the Florida Lung Health Coalition and National Director at RadNet. "We are leading the mission to reduce the burden of lung cancer by advancing efforts to equip health systems with earlier detection programs."

"We are thankful that these dedicated and experienced organizations have selected the FirstLook Lung test as a potential solution for improving lung cancer screening rates in Florida," stated Dr. Peter Bach, Chief Medical Officer of DELFI Diagnostics. "Our test helps identify those patients who are most likely to benefit from LDCT screening, which our partners can then provide at the highest levels of quality."

"Lung cancer is a tremendous burden on individuals, families, and the healthcare system in the U.S. Thankfully, we are seeing incredible strides in research investigating new treatments for this disease," said Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. "Collaborations like this are critical to improving early detection, improving lives of people living with lung disease and ultimately, saving lives."

Sources for citations:
¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, 2022. Analysis by the American Lung Association Epidemiology and Statistics Unit using SPSS software (prepublication of "State of Lung Cancer" 2024 report)
² U.S. National Institutes of Health. National Cancer Institute: SEER*Explorer, 2024.
³ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35844011/

About Florida Lung Health Coalition
The Florida Lung Health Coalition is a non-profit organization committed to improving lung health and increasing access to screening for adults at risk of lung cancer. We are dedicated to shifting the needle toward early-stage lung cancer diagnosis, which can increase lung cancer survival in our community. FLHC is a collaboration between clinical and industry partners. Our focus is complete lung health—end-to-end lung health screening and treatment. FLHC sponsors are companies deeply committed to lung health, such as those in the pharmaceutical and MedTech industries, and they support our state-of-the-art screening process and outreach activities. Visit https://floridalunghealth.org/ for more information.

About DELFI Diagnostics, Inc.
DELFI Diagnostics is developing next-generation, blood-based tests that are accurate, accessible, and deliver a new way to help detect cancer. DELFI tests are built to solve the highest-burden population health issues, including in historically underserved demographics, and have the potential to save lives on a global scale. FirstLook Lung, for individuals eligible for lung cancer screening, is our first laboratory-developed screening test and requires a simple blood draw that can be incorporated with routine blood work. The test is based on fragmentomics, the discovery that cancer cells are more chaotic than normal cells and, when they die, leave behind tell-tale patterns and characteristics of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragments in the blood. The DELFI platform applies advanced machine-learning technology to whole-genome sequencing data to assess individuals' cfDNA fragments against populations with and without cancer. FirstLook Lung uses these millions of data points to reliably identify individuals who may have cancer detected through low-dose CT, including early-stage disease, with a negative predictive value of 99.8 percent. This test has not been cleared or approved by the FDA. To learn more about the FirstLook Lung test, visit www.delfidiagnostics.com or www.firstlooktest.com

About RadNet, Inc.
RadNet, Inc. is the leading national provider of freestanding, fixed-site diagnostic imaging services in the United States based on the number of locations and annual imaging revenue. RadNet has a network of 398 owned and/or operated outpatient imaging centers. RadNet's markets include Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Texas. In addition, RadNet provides radiology information technology and artificial intelligence solutions, teleradiology professional services and other related products and services to customers in the diagnostic imaging industry. Together with affiliated radiologists, and inclusive of full-time and per diem employees and technologists, RadNet has a total of over 10,000 employees. For more information, visit http://www.radnet.com

About the American Lung Association
The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the American Lung Association, which has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and is a Platinum-Level GuideStar Member, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org. To support the work of the American Lung Association, find a local event at Lung.org/events.

SOURCE DELFI Diagnostics