Observational Study on Actual Cancer Screening Participation and Outcomes Among Patients with Lung Cancer Based on...

Lung cancer is a major cause of death. Japan has a higher rate of early detection of lung cancer, which is attributed to the impact of chest X-ray examinations implemented as mass screening. This study describes the characteristics and outcomes of patients with lung cancer in Japan, where chest X-ray screening is recommended for everyone aged >40 years old.

This observational study linked the Kyoto City Integrated Database with data from a nationwide cancer registry in Japan. This study assessed individuals aged ≥65 years diagnosed with primary lung cancer between 2014 and 2018. Patients were categorized into the screened or unscreened groups based on their screening history within 1 year before diagnosis.

Of 4473 patients with lung cancer, 231 were included in the screened group. The screened group had a mortality rate of 25% at 1.7 years and 50% at 5.6 years, versus 25% at 0.5 years and 50% at 1.8 years for the unscreened group.

Patients with primary lung cancer who underwent lung cancer screening had longer survival and better overall health at diagnosis than those who did not undergo screening. Further study is required to estimate the effectiveness of chest X-ray lung cancer screening.