Early Detection: Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Nevada, but early detection can save lives. The Nevada Cancer Coalition is focused on increasing lung cancer screening across the state by improving awareness, promoting access to screening, helping to connect and educate healthcare providers, and connect communities with resources to support prevention and early diagnosis.
Cancer Plan Goal: Increase early detection of cancers to reduce late-stage diagnosis.
Lung Cancer Collaborative
The purpose of the Lung Cancer Collaborative is to unite and actively engage partners across Nevada to increase early detection of lung cancer to reduce late-stage diagnoses and improve connections to timely treatment to save lives. Members identify strategies and take action to reduce the stigma associated with lung cancer and lung cancer screening, increase awareness, expand equitable access to screening and treatment, and educate healthcare professionals and the public.
The collaborative's top priorities are:
- Educate Nevadans on the importance of early detection and evidence-based screening guidelines and encourage screening advocacy among peer and influencer groups.
- Improve access to cancer screening for low-income, uninsured, geographically isolated, and other medically underserved populations through financial assistance, navigation to medical homes, mobile screening services, and health literacy education.
- Develop and share evidence-based public messaging on cancer screenings.
Chair: Dr. Chivonne Harrigal, Personalized Imaging Consultants
Staff Lead: Kayla Ramsey, Lung Cancer Screening Program Manager
Accomplishments:
- Engaged six screening facilities to participate in Lung Cancer Screening Day on Nov. 8, 2025.
- Supported passage of multiple bills in the Nevada Legislature including, in 2025, SB387 requiring state-regulated insurers to cover lung cancer screening and AB234 protecting Medicaid coverage for lung cancer screening.
- Developed a Lung Cancer Screening Toolkit and Primary Care Clinician Guide for Nevada providers.
- Secured inflatable lungs for both northern and southern Nevada outreach efforts.
Nevada QUILSTM Project
This four-year initiative brings the successful QUILS™ (Quality Implementation of Lung Cancer Screening) System to Nevada to help improve our state's lung cancer screening rates and quality of lung screening programs. The QUILS™ System, developed in Kentucky, helps screening centers optimize their services by evaluating factors such as patient eligibility, tobacco cessation efforts, and shared decision-making processes.
Three lung screening champions are working with NCC to ensure the lung cancer screening program’s success. Reno-based radiologist Dr. Chivonne Harrigal, Winnemucca-based radiologic technician Diane Klassen, and Las Vegas-based interventional pulmonologist Dr. Vishisht Mehta are passionate about increasing high-quality lung screening across the state and have committed their support to the project.
Learn more about the project by emailing Kayla Ramsey, Lung Cancer Screening Program Manager
