Characteristics associated with early vs. late adoption of lung cancer screening

Although lung cancer screening (LCS) reduces lung cancer mortality among high-risk individuals, uptake overall remains low. With all cancer screening modalities, a period of diffusion among medical providers and the public is expected, with screening uptake exhibiting a distribution among early vs. late adoption. We aimed to characterize individuals undergoing LCS based upon the timeframe of screening adoption.

This retrospective study examined patients who underwent LCS between January 2015 - December 2022 in a centralized LCS program. Based on United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) criteria for LCS, early and late adopters of LCS - defined by time from eligibility to screening completion - were compared. A multivariable regression model was constructed to identify factors associated with early adoption of LCS.

Among patients screened during the study period, 90.4% were eligible based on USPSTF 2013 criteria, and 9.6% were eligible based on USPSTF 2021 criteria. Of the USPSTF 2013 eligible persons, multivariable analysis demonstrated Black/African-American individuals and current smokers had significantly greater odds of early adoption (aOR 1.428 and 1.514, respectively). Those without a family history of lung cancer or without a personal history of cancer had significantly lower odds of early adoption of LCS.

Early adopters were more likely to report Black/African-American race or current smoking status after adjustment for covariates. Future research should examine how screening diffuses across the overall LCS-eligible population, as well as identify factors that drive and inhibit diffusion to create programs and policies with the ultimate goal of increasing timely LCS uptake.