Many patients who are eligible for lung cancer screening do not receive it, but do receive preventative screenings for other cancer types, according to the results of a new study published by Potter et al in JAMA.
Background
Although lung cancer screening is recommended for certain individuals with a history of smoking to find cases of lung cancer while they are still curable, only 18% of eligible individuals in the U.S. get screened. One suggested explanation has been that many people are resistant to receiving preventive health care, but findings from the new study indicate otherwise.
Researchers from Mass General Brigham sought to investigate the use of other preventive health care services among individuals eligible for lung cancer screening.
Methods and Results
The researchers analyzed data from 28,483 individuals aged 50 to 79 from the 2022 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System dataset who were eligible for lung cancer screening. They found that only 17% to 18% of eligible individuals received lung cancer screening, yet 65% of those eligible received breast and colorectal cancer screening—a nearly four-fold higher rate.
“Our findings show that many individuals eligible for lung cancer screenings are open to receiving preventive care services. The data suggest that these individuals aren’t necessarily resistant to receiving cancer screenings—other factors are likely driving low rates of lung cancer screening,” said lead author Alexandra Potter, BS, a researcher in the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. “These other factors may include difficulty assessing eligibility for lung cancer screening. In contrast to breast and colorectal cancer screening eligibility criteria, which are based on age alone, lung cancer screening eligibility criteria are more complex and include both age and multiple smoking history requirements. Challenges accessing lung cancer screening clinics are also likely an important factor driving low rates.”
Conclusions
The researchers concluded that many individuals eligible for lung cancer screening are already engaged in preventive care. The authors emphasized that their findings underscore the need for public health interventions to increase awareness of lung cancer screenings and reduce any barriers that may prevent high-risk individuals from undergoing lung cancer screening.
“As a community, we need to work together to improve lung cancer screening awareness and address the notable barriers that currently make it challenging for high-risk individuals to get lung cancer screening,” said senior author Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang, MD, of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Disclosures: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit jamanetwork.com.
