Editorial: Current Approaches to Screening for Lung Cancer in Smokers and Non-Smokers

In 2021, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) called for increased efforts at tobacco control, smoking-cessation treatments, and annual lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), targeted at high-risk populations. In January 2024, the American Cancer Society (ACS) published an update on the previous 2013 lung cancer screening guidelines and recommends annual lung cancer screening with lung LDCT for individuals aged 50-80 years who are asymptomatic but who currently smoke or have previously smoked. Although rates of tobacco smoking have been falling in some countries, the incidence of lung cancer in individuals who have never smoked now represents the 7th most common cancer and the 5th leading cause of cancer-related death. Because there is evidence that lung cancer screening with LDCT reduces lung cancer mortality in individuals with a substantial smoking history, there is now increasing interest in evaluating LDCT for lung cancer screening in those who have never smoked. In 2024, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) published a five-year (2023-2027) roadmap for the global use of LDCT in screening for lung cancer. This editorial aims to highlight some recent guidelines and current approaches to lung cancer screening in smokers and non-smokers.