Lung Cancer Screening Rates Increased After 2021 Update to USPSTF Guidelines

MONDAY, March 31, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Increased lung cancer screening uptake was seen after the 2021 update to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines, which expanded eligibility criteria to include adults aged 50 to 80 years with a smoking history of 20 or more pack-years, according to a research letter published online March 20 in JAMA Oncology.

LaShae D. Rolle, M.P.H., from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida, and colleagues used 2019 to 2023 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to examine the association of the 2021 updated USPSTF guidelines on lung cancer with screening uptake.

The researchers found that 15.4 percent of the 17,101 participants underwent screening before the guideline change compared with 47.1 percent after. There was a significant increase in the odds of screening after guideline changes (adjusted odds ratio, 4.66). Associations were seen for lack of health insurance coverage, being a rural resident, and not having a clinician with decreased odds of screening (adjusted odds ratios, 0.28, 0.73, and 0.71, respectively). Before and after the update, there were no significant interaction effects observed for sex, race and ethnicity, income, and education levels. Lower screening uptake was seen after guideline changes for rural residents (interaction β, −0.48).

“These findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions to address structural barriers in rural and underserved populations,” the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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