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Objective: Participant recruitment is a challenge for any clinical trial but is especially complex in cancer specifically due to the need to initiate treatment urgently. Most participants enrolled in oncology clinical trials are identified as potential participants by the oncologist or other referring provider. Optimal clinical care for patients with cancer includes consideration of participation in a clinical trial. However, the process of finding a clinical trial that is appropriate the patient can be cumbersome and time consuming. Material and Methods: The University of Kansas Cancer Center has developed a mobile application (app) which streamlines the clinical trial search process for physicians, patients, and caregivers by cohesively integrating all clinical trials currently recruiting in the center and making them easy to browse. Results: Key aspects of the app include simple filtering options, the ability to search for trials by name, easily accessible assistance, and in-app referral by phone or email. Initial feedback on the app has been very positive, with several suggestions already being implemented in future development. The app was designed to be used both by physicians to find trials, as well as patients in collaboration with their physicians. Conclusion: While long-term results will be crucial to understanding how the app can best serve our patient population, our initial results suggest that health system specific clinical trial apps can address a currently unmet need in the clinical trial recruitment process.

Highlights An abnormal mammogram was positively associated with family history and hormonal contraceptives. It was found that older patients, those who were married, are more likely to get screened. Those who had their first pregnancy at an older age are at higher risk of having an abnormal mammogram.

Lung cancer is currently the leading cause of cancer death worldwide due to its high incidence rate and low survival rate (1). Despite its high mortality, early screening of lung cancer is underemphasized in public campaigns compared to other cancers (2). Many risk factors contribute to lung cancer, with the predominant cause being the inhalation of toxic chemicals which includes tobacco smoke and industrial pollution (3). The combustive process of coal power production releases 84 different compounds that are designated as hazardous air pollutants by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (4). These compounds can cause several diseases in both humans and animals, as demonstrated by national-level research studies conducted in Southeast Asia (5). As of 2020 coal-powered power plants contributed to 34% of the overall power generation across Kansas (6). One ton of coal only generates 2,460 kWh of electricity whereas Wyandotte county alone requires 2,300 kWh (7; 8). With that context, our goal was to assess how the coal-fired power plants across the state of Kansas are related to lung cancer incidence in their surrounding area. We found that areas within the immediate vicinity of two coal-power plants had higher incidence rates of lung cancer compared to areas with no coal-power plants. Additionally, modeling lung cancer incidence based on vicinity to plants with covariates revealed a significant relationship between poverty, age, and lung cancer incidence. Individuals living in poverty are predisposed to healthcare-related bankruptcy and cost-associated treatment nonadherence (9). They are also shown to smoke more which is a known risk factor for lung cancer (10). Limiting affordable housing for these individuals to areas containing significant risk factors for lung cancer is irresponsible and potentially exploitative. Further studies on this topic should examine additional socioeconomic and lung cancer risk factors as well.

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