Lung Cancer Screening Beneficial to Age 80 for Candidates Fit for Surgery

FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — People aged 75 to 80 years at last screen who are diagnosed with screen-detected lung cancer (LC) have lower overall survival, but those undergoing surgery have no survival difference to younger patients, according to a study presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer, held from Sept. 6 to 9 in Barcelona, Spain.

Patrick Goodley, M.B.B.Chir., from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom, and colleagues reported treatment and survival rates in people aged 75 to 80 years diagnosed with screen-detected LC in two targeted LC screening implementation settings in the United Kingdom: the Yorkshire Lung Screening Trial and North & East Manchester Lung Health Check program.

The researchers identified 574 lung cancer cases, including 190 (33 percent) in those aged 75 to 80 years. There was no difference in stage distribution by age group. Overall, curative-intent treatment rates were high (87 percent), but older patients had a lower surgical resection rate (42 versus 58 percent in the 55- to 74-year-old age group). The older group also had higher all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.54; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.12 to 2.10; P < 0.001), which was 44 versus 34 percent at four years from diagnosis. No survival difference was seen for the subgroup treated with surgery (hazard ratio, 1.00; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.47 to 2.11), with four-year mortality of 16 versus 18 percent (P = 1.00).

“Our findings suggest that extending lung cancer screening up to age 80 could be valuable for older adults who are fit for surgery,” Goodley said in a statement.

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