Washington, D.C. – The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) today applauded the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) for endorsing the United States Preventive Services Task Force’s (USPSTF) draft recommendation for annual low-dose computed tomography scans (LDCT) for individuals at high-risk of developing lung cancer.

“The chorus of medical professional societies recognizing the importance of LDCT for at-risk individuals just grew louder with the AATS’ endorsement,” said Gail Rodriguez, executive director of MITA. “Too often, patients receive a diagnosis when the disease has already aggressively advanced. With LDCT imaging, high-risk lung cancer patients will be able to reap the benefits of early detection. It is now critical that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) break down access barriers to this proven, life-saving diagnostic tool and reduce these needless deaths.”

The USPSTF recommendation applies to individuals 55 to 80 years of age who have a 30 pack year or greater history of smoking, and who are either current smokers or have quit in the past 15 years. The draft recommendation is based in part on the landmark National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) study, conducted by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN), which found that LDCT imaging significantly reduced lung cancer deaths among current and former smokers aged 55 to 74 years.

This February, a study based on the NLST data was published in the journal Cancer, concluding that LDCT imaging of high-risk individuals has the potential to prevent 12,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States.

The AATS joins the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) who have endorsed LDCT for high-risk individuals, along with private payers including WellPoint, Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliates and Anthem affiliates, which now include the scans as a covered benefit. Furthermore, federal agencies including the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Energy (DoE) have begun phased implementation of LDCT.

The AATS is a professional organization of surgeons dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment and cure of diseases of the chest.

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The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA), a division of NEMA, is the collective voice of medical imaging equipment, radiation therapy and radiopharmaceutical manufacturers, innovators and product developers. It represents companies whose sales comprise more than 90 percent of the global market for medical imaging technology. For more information, visit www.medicalimaging.org. Follow MITA on Twitter @MITAToday.