New ACS lung cancer screening guidelines significantly increase eligibility

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has released an updated lung cancer screening (LCS) guideline, significantly increasing eligibility and bringing it into concordance with the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's (USPSTF) recommendation released in 2021. Published November 1 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, the new guidance expands eligibility to include five million more U.S. adults compared to the previous 2013 recommendation, the ACS said. It urges yearly screening for lung cancer via low-dose CT (LDCT) exams for people aged 50 to 80 years old who are current or former smokers and have a 20-year or greater pack-year history. "This updated guideline continues a trend of expanding eligibility for lung cancer screening in a way that will result in many more deaths prevented by expanding the eligibility criteria for screening to detect lung cancer early," Dr. Robert Smith, senior vice president, early cancer detection science at the ACS and lead author of the lung cancer screening guideline report said in a press conference. "Recent studies have shown extending the screening age for persons who smoke and formerly smoked, eliminating the 'years since quitting' requirement and lowering the pack per year recommendation could make a real difference in saving lives."Lung cancer is the overall leading cause of cancer death in the United States and is the second most frequently diagnosed malignancy in both men and women, according to the ACS. This year, the society estima...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Clinical News CT Thoracic Imaging Source Type: news