Expanding screening criteria set by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force would increase lung cancer detection from 35.1% to 62.1%, according to a study published Nov. 20 in JAMA Network Open.
Researchers analyzed data from 997 lung cancer patients diagnosed between 2018 and 2023 to determine how expanding screening criteria — from ages 45-80 with at least 20 pack-years to ages 40-85 with at least 10 pack-years or ages 40-85 universally — may affect detection and care costs.
Pack-years quantify a patient’s smoking history. It is determined by the number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day and the number of years a patient has smoked.
Here are five things to know from the study:
- Following USPSTF criteria only, 35.1% of the 997 patients would have been eligible for lung cancer screening.
- Expanding the criteria to include individuals ages 40-85 with at least 10 pack-years increased the detection rate to 62.1%.
- Expanding the criteria to a universal age-based screening (irrespective of smoking history) increased the detection rate to 93.9%.
Universal age-based screening prevented 26,124 deaths annually at $101,000 per life saved. Breast cancer and colorectal cancer screening costs $890,000 and $920,000 per life saved, respectively. - Patients who did not meet USPSTF screening criteria were more likely to be women, of Asian descent and have never smoked. They also had more adenocarcinomas diagnoses and higher overall survival, compared to patients who met screening criteria.
- “These findings suggest that current screening guidelines miss most patients with lung cancer, and age-based screening could improve detection and cost-effectiveness while reducing disparities,” the study authors wrote.
Read the full study here.
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