Study Shows Fewer Lung Cancer Patients Meet CT Screening Guidelines

Written by Ronny Bachrach on June 17, 2015. Posted in Digital Radiography and PACS, DR, Hardware

In recent years, health care providers have made strides to raise public health awareness about the risks of developing lung cancer from smoking cigarettes. Many radiologists adhere to CT screening criteria established by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. However, these efforts might be driving people away from meeting the requirements for the exams.

A recent study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, focused on the conundrum of getting patients to participate in medical imaging screenings.

Meeting the necessary qualifications for tests
Led by Yi Wang, M.D., researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, assessed the percentage of patients with primary lung cancer who would have qualified for CT screening under the USPSTF guidelines. They discovered that the number of eligible individuals dropped from 57 percent between 1984 and 1990 to 43 percent from 2005 through 2011, AuntMinnie.com reported.

CT lung cancer screening for high risk individuals is recommended by multiple medical organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the American College of Radiology and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. However, these groups typically offer varied suggestions for acceptable eligibility criteria, leading to some confusion over who can undergo the exams. The Mayo Clinic study examined the USPSTF guidelines, specifically that CT screening should be used for high-risk smokers between the ages of 55 and 80 years with at least 30-pack-year histories.

Wang and his colleagues retrospectively investigated a defined population over 28 years to find consistencies in the number of lung cancer patients who met the screening criteria. The total cohort included roughly 140,000 people. The researchers used the Rochester Epidemiology Project database to identify all pathologically confirmed cases of primary lung malignancies.

Based on this data, Wang's team discovered that the percentage of eligible patients declined during the study's designated time period. This led them to hypothesize that the decreases were caused by the success of public health efforts to reduce the number of smokers in the U.S. While ironic, the decline might have unintended consequences, such as patients being diagnosed with later stage lung cancer rather than benefiting from early detection.

Knowing when to be screened for lung cancer
Understanding how patients meet the necessary requirements for lung cancer screening can help decrease mortality rates from the condition. According to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, there are certain specifications that clue people into setting up appointments for the scan, including:

  • Current smokers and former smokers – who quit within the past 15 years – between the ages of 55 and 74.
  • Individuals 50 years and older with 20-pack-year histories who have been exposed to radon and occupational carcinogens like arsenic and cadmium.
  • People with previous cancers, family histories of lung cancer or pulmonary fibrosis.

However, patients do not have to fit into all of the criteria to undergo the exams and should talk to their primary care physicians about the appropriateness of screenings.

Contact Viztek for more information.

Ronny Bachrach

Ronny Bachrach

Marketing Director at Viztek LLC
Responsible for all marketing activities including, press, advertising, trade show coordination, website management, dealer and customer communications.
Ronny Bachrach
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