The Impact of Health Care Disparities on Lung Cancer Screening and Treatment

From screening to treatment, the continuum of lung cancer reflects unequal access and delivery, with more vulnerable patients less able to receive high-quality care. Despite great advances in lung cancer care (eg, screening and nodule programs to identify early-stage disease and immune-mediated and targeted therapies for advanced-stage disease), disparities persist both in the United States and globally. In this narrative review, the spectrum of disparities that influence lung cancer care on a national scale, including race, ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, geographic location, and insurance access, are explored. The review focuses on how disparities impact screening efforts and lung cancer treatments. Where data are available, trends on a global scale are addressed. Potential solutions are offered to address recognized disparities, primarily by identifying pertinent social determinants of health and launching multipronged interventions to improve the care of all patients with lung cancer.