Newswise — A new study led by American Cancer Society (ACS) researchers shows less than one-in-five eligible individuals in the United States were up-to-date (UTD) with recommended lung cancer screening (LCS). The screening uptake was much lower in persons without health insurance or usual source of care and in Southern states with the highest lung cancer burden. The findings are published today in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Internal Medicine.
“Although lung cancer screening rates continue to be considerably low, this research does show an improvement over screening rates reported for previous years,” said Dr. Priti Bandi , scientific director, cancer risk factors and screening surveillance research at the American Cancer Society. “But we clearly, still have a long way to go.
We must push harder to move the needle in the right direction.” The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the ACS recommend annual LCS with low-dose computed tomography in eligible high-risk individuals for early detection of the disease. High risk individuals according to the USPSTF are 50-80 years old, with a 20 pack-year or greater smoking history and currently smoking or quit less than 15 years ago.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a cross-sectional, population-based, nationwide state-representative survey. Self-reported UTD-LCS (defined as past-year) prevalence according to the 202.