Washington, D.C. – The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) today commended the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) for finalizing its recommendation for the use of annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) to screen individuals 55 to 80 years of age who are at high risk for lung cancer. Given the timing of the recommendation, private health plans must cover the imaging service without cost sharing by as early as next year due to an Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirement. 

“The USPSTF recommendation for annual LDCT imaging for individuals at high risk of developing lung cancer will help save lives by breaking down access barriers to this proven, life-saving diagnostic tool,” said Gail Rodriguez, Executive Director of MITA. “MITA urges the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to promptly extend coverage for LDCT to high-risk Medicare beneficiaries based on the recommendation and the cost-effectiveness data that supports its use.”

The final USPSTF recommendation applies to individuals 55 to 80 years of age who have smoked 30 packs per year or the equivalent. The 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. Last year, a study published in the journal Cancer found that LDCT imaging of high-risk individuals has the potential to prevent 12,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States.

There is also evidence that the use of LDCT for patients at high risk of lung cancer is cost effective.  An actuarial cost-benefit analysis published in Health Affairs found that it would save thousands of lives at a relatively low cost if the procedure was routinely covered by commercial insurers.

Currently, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) have all 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.

MITA supports the use of evidence-based, best practice guidelines to guide the appropriate use of LDCT. This includes the NCCN guidelines for lung cancer detection, prevention and risk reduction and the principles of the Lung Cancer Alliance’s National Framework of Lung Cancer Screening Excellence and Continuum of Care.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for men and women in the United States, accounting for 160,000 deaths every year, and it has a devastatingly low survival rate when not detected early.

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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.