The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has formally recommended two changes that will nearly double the number of people eligible for lung cancer screening by lowering the age from 55 to 50 and reducing the number of smoking history pack years from 30 to 20.
The recommendations have particular significance for women and African Americans. The USPSTF cited a 2019 study by Vanderbilt researchers in their decision analysis. The study, published in JAMA Oncology, revealed a striking disparity in eligibility between races. Among smokers diagnosed with lung cancer, 32% of African Americans versus 56% of whites were eligible for screening. The researchers reviewed cancer incidence data on 48,364 smokers from the Southern Community Cohort Study in one of the largest comprehensive evaluations of lung screening guidelines established by the USPSTF.