Organizations issue call to action to increase lung cancer screening for high-risk adults
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Significant action is necessary to prioritize early detection of lung cancer through expanded screening for high-risk individuals, according to a consensus statement released today.
The statement — signed by more than four dozen cancer centers, associations and advocacy organizations — called for public funding and health policies that increase screening access and utilization.
Lung cancer accounts for 25% of cancer-related deaths in the United States — more than breast, colorectal and prostate cancers combined. This is due in part to the fact that 46% of patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, when curative treatments are limited.
“To reduce lung cancer mortality nationwide, the United States must increase the use of lung cancer screening by the people considered high-risk,” the consensus statement read. “Unfortunately, the evidence indicates that only 5.7% of Americans considered ‘high risk’ for developing lung cancer had a recent low-dose CT screening exam for lung cancer. Comparatively, self-reported screening rates for breast, cervical and colon cancers have an overall 67% to 76% participation rate among guideline-based eligible populations.”
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued its initial lung cancer screening recommendations in 2013.
The panel expanded its recommended eligibility criteria last year. These criteria recommend screening for individuals aged 50 to 80 years who have at least a 20 pack-year history of smoking and have smoked within the past 15 years.
According to the consensus statement, several factors limit the participation of high-risk individuals in lung cancer screening with low-dose CT. These include discrepancies in state Medicaid coverage for lung cancer screening; challenges with identifying, enrolling and navigating patients through lung cancer screening; awareness gaps through providers and patients; and deficiencies in quality incentives at the health system level.
Therefore, the consensus statement noted the following action steps as necessary to increase lung cancer screening participation:
Implement a comprehensive national education campaign that “promotes consistent, inclusive and nonstigmatizing messaging at the provider and community levels”;
Incorporate information about lung cancer screening for eligible individuals into tobacco cessation services;
Expand access to quality and affordable health care insurance coverage;
Require every state’s Medicaid program to provide coverage for tobacco cessation and lung cancer screening, and eliminating barriers related to prior authorizations or physician ordering to minimize disparities in lung cancer screening access;
Provide additional reimbursement to support lung cancer screening sites so they can ensure equitable access to screening and provide comprehensive patient navigation;
Include lung cancer screening in all standardized quality measures; and
Offer financial incentives for lung cancer screening sites to provide comprehensive, high-quality programs.
“Unfortunately, greater than 70% of lung cancers are detected too late, when the chance for a cure is much lower,” Michael Hanley, MD, a lung cancer screening expert at UVA Health Cancer Center — one of the consensus statement’s participating organizations said in a press release. “The goal of screening is to detect cancers early on, when there is a high chance for a cure and a return to normal life.”
References:
- Consensus statement. Together we must act to increase lung screening to save more lives. Available at: https://www.lung.org/getmedia/687e040c-58a9-44ba-897f-99821464f1a1/consensus-statement-project-2022-final. Posted Nov. 1, 2022. Accessed Nov. 1, 2022.
- UVA Health. UVA, other top cancer groups seek to boost lung cancer screening. Available at: https://newsroom.uvahealth.com/2022/11/01/uva-other-top-cancer-groups-seek-boost-lung-cancer-screening/. Posted Nov. 1, 2022. Accessed Nov. 1, 2022.
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