For the second time in less than a year, Roswell Comprehensive Cancer Center is adding a new mobile screening van to its list of assets.
The new unit is part of the Early Detection Driven to You program. It replaces the EDDY program's original van for lung cancer screening, which has been in use since 2022.
It means they will be able to access more areas within Buffalo and the surrounding region, Roswell CEO Candace Johnson said.
"(It was) very difficult to pull into some neighborhoods, quite honestly, because you just couldn't get the thing in there. So, this is a much better model that we have here, and we're so excited and thank you for your partnership," she said. "For over 125 years, Roswell Park has been New York State's cancer research and treatment center. We've learned a lot about cancer survival, and perhaps the biggest takeaway is the importance of detecting cancer early."
The program has provided more than 3,400 lung cancer screenings across seven counties since 2022 and identified 25 cases of lung cancer.
Having mobile services increases the chance of catching cancer before circumstances turn dire, said Mary Reid, Roswell Director of Cancer Screening and Survivorship.
“Of the cancers, the lung cancers we've picked up on the bus, the majority, 70%, have been Stage One and Two, which means those patients got treated, and they go on with their lives," she said. "And that's what we want to see for the future of lung cancer with things like this mobile unit.”
EDDY also has a van for prostate and breast cancer screening, which has been in service since November.
