Lung Precision Oncology Program (LPOP)
Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer among Veterans, and the second most common cancer in men and women. However, lung cancer screening and early detection can save lives.
To better address care for Veterans, VA has established the Lung Precision Oncology Program (LPOP) to foster participation in lung cancer screening, genomic testing and precision oncology trials. When Veterans participate in these trials, it allows us to tailor treatment to the needs of the individual.
More than one million Veterans are eligible for screenings through the VA. For those who qualify, annual lung cancer screenings are provided at no cost, with no copay. You may be eligible for a lung cancer screening if you are:
- Between 50-80 years old,
- Currently smoke or quit within the last 15 years, and
- Have a smoking history of at least 20 pack-years
- For example, smoking one pack per day for 20 years or two packs per day for 10 years.
If this applies to you, discuss it with your primary care physician (PCP) or contact the Lung Cancer Screening Program at 713-578-5749.
Schedule an appointment with your PCP today!
Lung Cancer Screening in our VA Related Network
If you’re located in our surrounding areas & interested in lung cancer screening or smoking cessation; consider contacting your LCS Navigator at one of our VA LPOP spokes sites:
Alexandria, LA
Lung Cancer Screening
Peter Karr, PA-C
peter.karr1@va.gov
713-791-1414, ext. 146039
Smoking Cessation
Mercedes Gremillion, PhD
Mercedes.Gremillion@va.gov
Biloxi, MS
Lung Cancer Screening
Katie Giardina, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC
kathryn.giardina@va.gov
Casey Hutto, DNP, RN
Casey.Hutto@va.gov
Smoking Cessation
Chereta Beverly, DNP, PMHNP-BC
Dr. Meghan Morgan
chereta.beverly@va.gov
Fayetteville, AR
Lung Cancer Screening
Kaylan Walker, MSN RN-BC
kaylan.walker@va.gov
Smoking Cessation
Jana "Leigh" Reno, PA
jana.reno@va.gov
Jackson, MS
Lung Cancer Screening
Elizabeth Crawford, FNP-BC
elizabeth.crawford3@va.gov
Smoking Cessation
Wendy Hopkins, DNP-PMHNP-BC/Health Behavior Coordinator
Wendy.Hopkins2@va.gov
New Orleans, LA
Lung Cancer Screening
Robert Henley, PA-C
robert.henley@va.gov
Tiffany Wooley, PA-C
Tiffany.Wooley@va.gov
Smoking Cessation
Dr. Joseph Vigil
Joseph.Vigil2@va.gov
Shreveport, LA
Lung Cancer Screening
Laura Houston, RN, OCN
laura.houston@va.gov
Smoking Cessation
Chester Whittemore, LPC
Chester.Whittemore@va.gov
Want to quit smoking?
Have you ever smoked? Each year, nearly 8,000 Veterans are diagnosed and treated for lung cancer within the VA health care system. Given that lung cancer is one of the most common and deadliest cancers among Veterans, the VA strongly encourages all eligible Veterans to undergo regular screenings. Early detection is key, as lung cancer is treatable, especially when caught in its early stages.
Thinking about quitting? Let us help you!
When you’re trying to quit tobacco, counseling or medication increase your chance of success. Using these two together offers the best chance of quitting. From casual self-help to one-on-one counseling, your VA has options to help you quit for good.
Join our tobacco cessation group. We are currently offering group participation by video and telephone conference only.
Tobacco cessation group
- When: Thursdays, 1:00 p.m.
- Where: Join Webex meeting
- Phone: 404-397-1596
- Access code: 276-145-58532#
The group meets weekly for 60 minutes and you can start attending at any time. This is a drop-in group; no referral is required. There is no co-pay for attending tobacco treatment.
Need extra support during the week?
Call 1-855-QUIT-VET (1-855-784-8838), 9:00 a.m.- 9:00 p.m., Monday-Friday to speak to a tobacco quit coach in English or Spanish. QuitVET connects Veterans to a trained counselor who can help develop a quit plan and provide ongoing counseling and support.
Prefer to text or find support online?
- Text VET (or VETesp for Spanish) to 47848 to receive texts with tips and tools to beat cravings.
- Text URGE, STRESS, SMOKED, or DIPPED to 47848 for extra support.
- Follow the SmokefreeVET Facebook page for tips and encouragement from other Veterans.
- Download Stay Quit Coach, VA’s interactive quit tobacco app. Available for IOS or Android in your app store.
- Find more VA resources on how to quit.
For more information, please contact Dr. Zina Peters at 281-797-8662.
Get involved in clinical research
LPOP and Houston VA are committed to providing Veterans access to clinical trials which can include prevention, diagnosis and even treatment. We are active in several cutting-edge clinical trials aimed at detecting, treating and even preventing lung cancer in Veterans. If you would like more information or learn more about participating in one of our many trials, talk to our team to learn more about opportunities which may be available to you.
Our focus is to provide targeted cancer care for Veterans while facilitating access to investigational therapies through clinical trials.
Active Clinical Studies
VALOR: Veterans Affairs Lung Cancer Surgery or Stereotactic Radiotherapy (VA ORD)
Clinical Trial Overview: Treatment study for stage 1 cancer patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer have been historically treated with surgery whenever they are fit for an operation, but this is a nationwide study designed to assist future veterans make the best therapy choice for their cancer. The VALOR study compares two curative treatments — either surgery or an alternative therapy known as stereotactic radiotherapy — in Veterans with stage I cancer to better understand how an individual’s unique characteristics influence long-term outcomes.
Clinical Trial Number: NCT02984761
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Cornwell, PI | lorraine.cornwell@va.gov |
Adriana Rueda, Study Coordinator | adriana.rueda@va.gov |
Clinical Trial Title: TROPION-Lung10: A Phase III, Randomised, Open-label, Global Study of Datopotamab Deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) in Combination With Rilvegostomig (AZD2936) or Rilvegostomig Monotherapy Versus Pembrolizumab Monotherapy for the First-line Treatment of Participants With Locally-advanced or Metastatic Non-squamous NSCLC With High PD-L1 Expression (TC ? 50%) and Without Actionable Genomic Alterations (Astra Zeneca)
Clinical Trial Overview: The purpose of this research is to test investigational drugs called rilvegostomig and datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd), alone or in combination, to determine if they are well tolerated in treating locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. The experimental treatments are compared with an approved treatment called pembrolizumab.
Clinical Trial Number: NCT06357533
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Huang, PI | Quillan.Huang@va.gov |
Ebony Nelson, Program Manager | ebony.nelson@va.gov |
Clinical Trial Title: (PEMBRO EZ) EZH2 inhibitor, Tulmimetostat, and PD-1 blockade for treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (VA ORD)
Clinical Trial Overview: This is an open label, single arm, phase Ib/II clinical trial of checkpoint blockade, pembrolizumab and EZH2 inhibitor, tulmimetostat combination therapy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who have progressed from front or second-line treatment. Patients will be enrolled at multiple Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.
Clinical Trial Number: NCT05467748
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Shin, PI | daniel.shin@va.gov |
Ebony Nelson, Program Manager | ebony.nelson@va.gov |
Clinical Trial Title: RIVAL Repositioning Immunotherapy in Veterans with Lung Cancer (VA ORD)
Clinical Trial Overview: The purpose of this research is to gather information on the safety and effectiveness of giving chemotherapy + immunotherapy followed by radiation and then immunotherapy. And whether this approach is more beneficial than current standard treatment of chemotherapy and radiation given concurrently, followed by immunotherapy. While all of these medications are FDA approved for your type of cancer, the research component of this study is giving immunotherapy with chemotherapy at the start of treatment.
Clinical Trial Number: NCT06275360
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Shin, PI | daniel.shin@va.gov |
Ebony Nelson, Program Manager | ebony.nelson@va.gov |
Clinical Trial Title: A Biomarker Directed phase II trial of Temozolomide and Stenoparib in Relapsed SCLC
Clinical Trial Overview: This Phase II trial investigates the efficacy of Stenoparib combined with Temozolomide in patients with relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC), focusing on biomarker sensitivity to improve treatment outcomes. (VAORD)
Clinical Trial Number: NCT06681220
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Shin, PI | daniel.shin@va.gov |
Ebony Nelson, Program Manager | ebony.nelson@va.gov |
Clinical Trial Title: (INTerpath-009) A Phase 3 Randomized Double-blind Study of Adjuvant Pembrolizumab With or Without V940 in Participants With Resectable Stage II to IIIB (N2) NSCLC not Achieving pCR After Receiving Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab With Platinum-based Doublet Chemotherapy
Clinical Trial Overview: The INTerpath-009 trial is a Phase 3 randomized double-blind study that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of combining V940 (mRNA-4157) with pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA) as an adjuvant treatment for patients with resectable Stage II, IIIA, or IIIB (N2) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who did not achieve a pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant treatment with pembrolizumab and platinum-based chemotherapy. The study is designed to determine if this combination can help prevent cancer recurrence in patients with NSCLC whose tumors did not respond completely to treatment before surgery (MERCK)
Clinical Trial Number: NCT06623422
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Shin, PI | daniel.shin@va.gov |
Ebony Nelson, Program Manager | ebony.nelson@va.gov |
Future Clinical Studies
Clinical Trial Title: (HARMONi-7) A Randomized, Double-blinded, Multiregional Phase 3 Study of Ivonescimab Versus Pembrolizumab for the First-line Treatment of Metastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer in Patients Whose Tumors Demonstrate High PD-L1 Expression
Clinical Trial Overview: The HARMONi randomized, doubleblinded, multiregional Phase 3 study aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of Ivonescimab compared to Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in treating patients with metastatic NSCLC whose tumors demonstrate high PD-L1 expression (TPS > 50%). The study focuses on measuring overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) among participants .(Summit Therapeutics)
Clinical Trial Number: NCT06767514
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Shin, PI | daniel.shin@va.gov |
Ebony Nelson, Program Manager | ebony.nelson@va.gov |
Clinical Trail Title: The Merus MCLA-158 CL04 | A Phase 2 Study to Investigate the Safety and Efficacy of Petosemtamab in Combination with Docetaxel as Second-Line Treatment in Adults with Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer or in Combination with Pembrolizumab as First-Line Treatment
Clinical Trail Overview: The study will test the efficacy and safety of petosemtamab in combination with Pembrolizumab in first line patients with squamous non-small cell lung cancer and non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. (Merus B.V.)
Clinical Trial Number: NCT07353957
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Shin, PI | daniel.shin@va.gov |
Ebony Nelson, Program Manager | ebony.nelson@va.gov |
Sponsor or conduct research at Houston VA
Are you a sponsor, or interested in conducting clinical research at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, please contact:
Dr. Shin, PI
daniel.shin@va.gov
Quality Improvement Projects (IQuest)
Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety (IQuESt): The Deputy Director, Dr. Drew Helmer, MD, MS, is a co-investigator on this application. IQuESt is one of 18 competitively awarded Centers of Innovations (COINs) funded by the Health Services Research & Development Service (HSR&D) Service of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and is the largest in the southeast U.S. The mission of IQuESt is to improve health and well-being through innovations in health care delivery (38-40).
The goals of IQuESt are very well aligned with those of the LPOP, including researching on health care delivery that impacts policy, practice, and the health of patients; dissemination and implementation of innovations in health care delivery; and training and mentoring researchers and leaders in health care delivery science. Dr. Helmer will lead IQuESt contributions to the MEDVAMC LPOP in community engagement, implementation science, and data management and analytics, drawing on the expertise and experience of IQuESt investigators in these areas.
LPOP investigators at “Hub & Spokes” will be supported by Dr. Helmer and the data programmer, statistician and coordinator covered by this proposal, and have access to a full range of research support staff and collaborators for newly funded research proposals. IQuESt also hosts several fellowship training programs that could serve health services and implementation science trainees interested in lung cancer.
Source: Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety Home
LPOP related events at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
November:
- Lung Cancer Screening Month
- Yearly in November
- Purpose: To strengthened and expand knowledge surrounding MEDVAMC programs in which Veterans can access.
- Great American Smoke Out & Lung Cancer Screening Day