Impact of a lung cancer screening programme on a London hospital service

The early diagnosis of lung cancer remains a challenge and several trials are evaluating the feasibility and effectiveness of lung cancer screening. The SUMMIT study [NCT03934866] targets high risk individuals and offers low dose CT scanning. Abnormalities identified trigger referral to local hospitals for assessment.Our aim was to evaluate the potential impact, on cost and resources, of the introduction of lung cancer screening on our service. Data were collected retrospectively from electronic patient records for all referrals by the SUMMIT team. NHS Tariffs were used to evaluate referral costs.81 patient referrals were analysed (mean 5 referrals/month). These required 178 clinic appointments (mean 2.2 clinics/patient), generating on average 2.8 further investigations/patient (Table 1). 28% of patients were diagnosed with cancers. 48% of patients remain under respiratory follow up - 30% for pulmonary nodules (Table 2).This retrospective analysis identifies that while screening can result in earlier diagnosis, it may have a significant impact on imaging and clinic resources with many identified abnormalities subsequently classed as benign. Table 1InvestigationNumberCost/unit(£) CT scan Whole body PET scan Lung perfusion scan Echocardiogram MRI scan Endobronchial ultrasound Bronchoscopy Pulmonary function tests 66 62 6 6 2 18 3 57 105 3104 138 58 179 1412 569 323 Table 2DiagnosisNumber(%) Benign Nodule Histology pending Cancer 32(40) 24(30) 2(2) 23(28) Non-small cell ...

Source: European Respiratory Journal - November 25, 2021 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Thompson, E., Ricketts, W., Uys, S., Castle, L. Tags: Lung cancer Source Type: research