Foundations for lung nodule management for nurse navigators

Lung cancer remains the most deadly cancer, with more than half of patients dying within one year of diagnosis. However, mortality rates improve with early detection. Until recently, attempts at improving early detection of lung cancer have not been shown to be beneficial, but when results from the National Lung Screening Trial showed a survivor benefit for high-risk patients who had a computed tomography scan, interest grew rapidly in creating guidelines and programs that restructure lung nodule management and screening. Oncology nurse navigators will play a crucial role in the development and administration of tracking methods, data analysis, and program development that will contribute to the multidisciplinary team in screening, tracking, and diagnosing early-stage lung cancer.