Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact Lung Cancer Screening Rates?

The COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly affect lung cancer screening (LCS) rates in the United States, according to a recent study published in JTO Clinical and Research Reports. In fact, LCS uptake remained low but stable during the 2019-2022 period.

A team of researchers investigated LCS use and associated predictors among LCS-eligible adults before (2019), during (2020-2021), and at a later stage (2022) of COVID-19. Data was pulled from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for 11,886,704 eligible people. Participants of the study ranged in age from 50-79 years old. The following races/ethnicities were represented in the study: American Indian/Alaskan Native, non-Hispanic; Black, non-Hispanic; Hispanic; White, non-Hispanic; other.

Self-reported LCS uptake was measured over a 12-month period. It was categorized into a binary variable (1=had a CT or CAT scan to check for lung cancer in the past 12 months and 0=did not have CT or CAT scan to check for lung cancer in the past 12 months). Participants reported on age, gender, race and ethnicity, marital status, education, annual household income, employment, residency, health insurance, delayed medical care, tobacco use, general health status, and chronic health conditions.

The study showed that 2,129,900 people received LCS from 2019-2022 (16.3% [2019]; 19.4% [2020]; 18.3% [2021]; 18.1% [2022]). In addition, people with a history of cancer or lung diseases were more likely to receive LCS compared with those without these conditions across all 4 years.

Compared with White individuals, Hispanic individuals had lower odds of LCS use. Moreover, living in a rural versus urban area also meant less use of LCS.

Although gender didn’t affect LCS use in 2019-2021, the researchers found that men had a 21% increased odds of undergoing LCS compared with women in 2022.

Finally, people with health insurance had lower odds of receiving LCS during the pandemic (2020-2021) compared with before (2019) and during the late phase (2022) of the pandemic.

“Our study findings suggest that LCS utilization among US adults remained surprisingly stable before, during, and in the later phases of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the researchers said.

The researchers believe effective strategies, such as LCS awareness initiatives and personalized aids for informed LCS decision-making, may help improve LCS rates and reduce the burden that lung cancer holds across the US.

Source: JTO Clinical and Research Reports