UAMS launches Arkansas’ first mobile lung cancer screening fleet

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute has introduced the state’s first mobile lung cancer screening vans. This statewide initiative aims to combat lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death in Arkansas, accounting for approximately 2,000 deaths annually.

Arkansas currently ranks fifth in the nation for lung cancer mortality and third for cigarette smoking. To address these rates, particularly in rural and medically underserved areas, UAMS has deployed two of three planned state-of-the-art mobile screening coaches, with a third expected to follow soon.

The program is supported by a $4 million appropriation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration, championed by U.S. Senator John Boozman. The mobile units are designed to remove barriers such as transportation, time, and cost by bringing screening services directly to communities.