SARASOTA, Fla. (Nov. 20, 2025) — Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, in large part because nearly half of all cases aren’t detected until late in the disease, when survival rates fall to just 6%. But early detection screening programs and coordinated care provided at Sarasota Memorial’s Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute are helping people beat those odds.
The local Cancer Institute team has been nationally recognized for catching early-stage lung cancer at double the rate achieved in most health systems across the nation. And this month, during Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the nonprofit GO2 for Lung Cancer awarded SMH two Centers of Excellence designations for providing multidisciplinary, top-tier care across the full continuum of cancer care services:
- Center of Excellence for Cancer Care, for providing comprehensive access to a continuum of oncology care, including medical, radiation, and surgical oncology and pathology services.
- Center of Excellence for Incidental Pulmonary Nodules, for providing a structured program that captures incidentally found lung nodules from imaging performed across the health system, with a standardized process for patient follow-up and support.
The newly awarded Center of Excellence designations are in addition to the Cancer Institute’s previously awarded Center of Excellence designation for Lung Cancer Screening, which recognizes the life-saving impact of early detection.
“For people with risk factors, low-dose CT screenings can help us detect lung cancer at its earliest, most treatable stages,” said Amie Miller, ARNP, coordinator of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at SMH. “That’s why we’re dedicated to building awareness of these screenings right here in the Sarasota community. If we can diagnose lung early, and then immediately support that patient with top-tier cancer care, with all of the doctors and specialists working together, it can have a tremendous impact on outcomes. And we’re already seeing that.”
About the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute at Sarasota Memorial
The Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute is a center of excellence that provides advanced cancer care across the entire continuum— from prevention, screening and diagnosis to advanced treatments, clinical trials and survivorship support. The Cancer Institute's world-class facilities include an 8-story oncology inpatient and surgical tower that opened on the Sarasota hospital campus in 2021, a Radiation Oncology Center that opened on the University Parkway outpatient campus in 2020, and a new Cancer Pavilion with a full slate of outpatient services slated to open in late 2025. Learn more at smhcancer.com