Current LDCT eligibility criteria leave women and minorities behind
Expanding eligibility criteria for low dose CT lung cancer screening could improve cancer detection rates among demographics in which the exam has been historically underutilized.
Women and racial minorities are more likely to develop lung cancer at a younger age and with less exposure to cigarettes, a new paper published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology shares [1]. Many of these individuals do not currently qualify for coverage of LDCT lung cancer screening due to their age and smoking histories.
Corresponding author of the new paper, Raymond Uyiosa Osarogiagbon, MBBS, FACP, with the Baptist Cancer Center in Memphis, Tennessee, and colleagues explain how expanding the specifics of eligibility would benefit those who do not currently qualify for coverage.
“LDCT is underutilized by the currently eligible population, with estimated state-level participation rates ranging from 1% to 14%,” the experts said. “Expansion of LDCT screening eligibility criteria to allow longer quit-duration and fewer pack-years of exposure enriches the screening-eligible population for women and Black persons.”
Specifically, the researchers assessed how expanding upon current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force criteria would impact cancer detection rates. The quit duration was expanded to ≤25 years (USPSTF 2021-QD25), while pack-years of smoking decreased to ≥10 (USPSTF 2021-PY10).
These criteria were applied to 17,421 individuals (56% female, 69% White, 28% Black) and qualified more people for screening than both USPSTF 2013 and USPSTF 2021criteria. This resulted in an increase of lung cancers detected under each new guideline by 26% and 28%. Compared to USPSTF 2013, the altered criteria increased cancer detection by 37%.
Experts involved in the study maintained that their findings further support the notion that expanding criteria could benefit a wider range of people and should be considered in the future.
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In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.