New data highlight ‘urgent need’ to expand access to lung cancer screenings
New data highlight the “urgent need” to expand access to lung cancer screenings in certain geographies.
Previous studies have explored the poor uptake of low-dose CT imaging to address America’s leading cause of cancer death. However, the portion of military veterans eligible for such exams is less understood, experts detailed Monday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Researchers sought to examine this landscape, surveying a nationally representative sample of over 750 vets. Extrapolating their findings across the entire veteran population, experts estimate there are about 1.4 million individuals eligible for screening. The rate is nearly three times higher than the general U.S. population (11.2%), with a greater proportion of patients eligible in rural geographies.
“Odds of initial and annual repeat lung cancer screening are lower among rural veterans compared with nonrural veterans,” Jennifer A. Lewis MD, MPH, with the Veterans Health Administration’s Tennessee Valley Healthcare System in Nashville, and colleagues wrote Jan. 27. “This study's findings highlight an urgent need for VHA to focus on expanding screening access through mobile CT and telehealth programs to reach rural communities,” they added later.
Investigators targeted veterans ages 50 and older over an 11-month period in 2022. They utilized oversampling to help ensure the inclusion of minority groups and account for geographic variation in tobacco use. About 27.8% of vets met the 2013 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force criteria for lung cancer screening, with the number increasing to 35.5% based on the 2021 update. Using the most recent USPSTF criteria, about 41.2% of veterans in rural areas are eligible for LDCT compared to 32.5% in other geographies. Overall, about 33% of U.S. veterans are eligible for the exam nationwide.
“These results are critical for policymakers and leaders to plan adequate resource allocation for population-based screening, diagnostic evaluations, and treatment for individuals diagnosed with screen-detected cancer,” the authors advised.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.