More Americans now qualify for annual scans to detect lung cancer, according to guidelines released Tuesday that could help get more black smokers and women screened.
Lung cancer is the largest cancer killer in the country, causing more than 135,000 deaths annually. Smoking is the main cause and stops the best protection.
Usually, lung cancer is diagnosed too late for a good chance of survival. But some high-risk Americans get a low-dose CT scan, a type of x-ray, every year to improve their chances.
Who is eligible?
The U.S. Task Force on Preventive Services said anyone between the ages of 50 and 80 who has smoked for at least 20 “pack years” and still smokes or quits within the past 15 years. A ‘pack year’ means a pack of cigarettes per day for a year or an equivalent quantity. One can therefore qualify by going through a package for 20 years a day or two packages a day for ten years.
Since 2013, the scans have been recommended for heavier smokers – 30 pack years – and those who are a little older, from the age of 55. The task force has updated the guidelines, which were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. lighter, younger smokers also benefit from it. It is estimated that about 15 million people meet the new criteria, which is almost double the previous number.
The recommendation of the task team means that insurers must present the selection without copy to people who meet the criteria.
The changes “mean that more black men and women are now eligible for lung cancer screening, which is a step in the right direction,” said Dr. John B. Wong, a task force member at Tufts Medical Center, said in a statement.
The panel said African Americans and women tend to dress less heavily and that they may not have met the earlier screening threshold, even though they are at risk for lung cancer.
In an editorial in JAMA Surgery, cancer specialists welcomed the changes.
But “lowering the age and age requirements alone cannot guarantee an increased fairness in lung cancer screening,” said Dr. Written by Yolonda Colson and colleagues from Massachusetts General Hospital.
Her team noticed ‘formidable’ barriers, including poor access to healthcare and even doctors who were not familiar enough with the investigation to identify good candidates and help them decide.
A recent study found that only 14 percent of people eligible for lung cancer screening according to the previous guidelines actually got it. In contrast, 60 to 80 percent of people who are eligible for screening for breast, colon or cervical cancer are screened.
People who are offered screening for lung cancer should also consider the risks of invasive tests to determine if any abnormality noticed by the scan is really a tumor. Lung biopsies sometimes cause serious, even fatal complications.