Lung nodule program provides benefits patients ineligible for lung cancer screening

Adopting a lung nodule program (LNP) may increase the detection of early lung cancer for patients who are not eligible for lung cancer screening under existing age eligibility criteria, according to a study published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.

LNPs are established to follow up on lung nodules that are frequently identified during routine imaging for reasons other than suspected lung cancer or lung cancer screening.

Low-dose computed tomographic (LDCT) screening for lung cancer has been shown to reduce mortality by up to 20 percent. However, even after lowering the age of eligibility from 55 to 50 years, most persons diagnosed with lung cancer in the US are ineligible for lung cancer screening. LNPs, which typically use Fleischner Society lung nodule management guidelines, expand access to early lung cancer detection to a more diverse population.

The demographic, socio-economic characteristics, and risk factor profile of patients diagnosed with lung cancer through the LNP differed strikingly from that of the screened cohort. The lung cancer risk in persons too young or too old for screening, but who have an incidentally detected lung lesion, had not previously been rigorously estimated.

"Our findings indicate that our Lung Nodule Program modestly benefitted individuals deemed too young or too old for traditional screening,” said Dr. Osarogiagbon. “The observed differences in clinical characteristics and outcomes strongly suggest variations in the biological characteristics of lung cancer in these distinct patient cohorts."

Reference: Lung nodule program provides benefits patients ineligible for lung cancer screening; Journal of Thoracic Oncology