Lung cancer screening triples following guideline expansion: What to know

Lung cancer screening more than tripled after the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force expanded screening eligibility in 2021, according to a March 20 research letter published in JAMA Oncology. 

Researchers from the University of Miami drew upon 2019 to 2023 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to analyze lung cancer screening rates before and after the guideline change. 

Here are five things to know from their analysis:

1. Lung cancer screening eligibility was expanded to increase early detection. Before 2021, screening was reserved to adults ages 55 to 80 with a smoking history of 30 or more packs per year. After 2021, adults ages 50 to 80 with a smoking history of 20 or more packs per year were eligible for screening.
   
   
2. According to data from 17,101 individuals, lung cancer screening increased from 15.4% to 47.1% after the guideline change.
   
   
3. Non-Hispanic white individuals made up 87.9% of those screened for lung cancer before the guideline change. The number dropped to 75.8% after the guideline change. 

4. Factors associated with decreased odds of screening were lack of health insurance coverage, being a rural resident and not having a physician.
   
   
5. “These findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions to address structural barriers in rural and underserved populations,” the research letter said. 

Read the full analysis here.