Florida's only mobile lung cancer screening unit rolled into Land O' Lakes on Friday, Sept. 25, offering low-dose CT scans to residents at risk for the disease.

Moffitt Cancer Center brought the unit to the Angeline community on World Lung Day, a date set aside to raise awareness about lung cancer prevention and early detection. The visit, first reported by WFLA, was a partnership between Moffitt and Metro Development Group, which developed the 6,200-acre master-planned Angeline neighborhood. Angeline is also home to Moffitt's Speros FL campus, giving the cancer center an existing footprint in the community.

Lung cancer kills roughly 130,000 Americans each year, more than the next three deadliest cancers combined, according to Dr. Lary Robinson, director of Moffitt's Lung Cancer Early Detection Center. Robinson, a thoracic surgeon and professor at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, said early detection is key.

"If you find someone with early-stage lung cancer, the cure rate is high," Robinson said. "It's a little bump in the road and they have a lot more road."

Only about 16% of eligible adults get screened for lung cancer, according to Moffitt. That compares with 76% for breast cancer and 67% for colon cancer.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual low-dose CT scans for adults 50 and older who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and who currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years.

Lisa Gibbings with Metro Development Group said the partnership aimed to put the resource within easy reach. She told WFLA the goal was to make screening available "to not only residents, but anyone in the community."

Moffitt launched the mobile unit in November 2024. Imaging results are typically available within five days. If a scan detects a suspicious nodule, a Moffitt team member contacts the patient to discuss next steps.

Ahead of the screening visit, Angeline and Moffitt hosted a free event called "A Taste of Prevention" on Aug. 28, featuring a cooking demonstration by Chef Jules Graziano of Moffitt's PEARL Kitchen and a question-and-answer session with Robinson, according to a Metro Development Group announcement.

Residents who missed the Sept. 25 stop can find the mobile unit's upcoming schedule at Moffitt.org/MobileLungHost.