Bridging Mammography and Lung Cancer Screening: Eligibility, Uptake and Potential Impact

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Public Health
• Radiology

Background:

• Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer death in women.
• Lung cancer screening (LCS) uptake is significantly lower than mammography screening.
• Leveraging mammography programs could potentially increase LCS uptake.

Purpose of the Study:

• Determine the proportion of women with LC eligible for both mammography and LCS.
• Assess the potential for earlier LC detection through integrated screening.
• Identify factors influencing screening uptake among dually eligible women.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cross-sectional study of 345 women with newly diagnosed LC.
• Assessed eligibility for LCS (USPSTF 2013/2021) and mammography (2016).
• Analyzed sociodemographic factors associated with screening uptake in dually eligible women.

Main Results:

• 43.5%-49.3% of women were eligible for LCS, while 73.3% were eligible for mammography.
• Mammography uptake (41.5%) far exceeded LCS uptake (13.9%).
• Dual eligibility was found in 45.2% of cases; 41.2% of LCS-eligible women received mammography.
• Rural residency was linked to lower LCS uptake (OR 0.42), while mammography receipt was linked to higher LCS uptake (OR 2.67).

Conclusions:

• Many LCS-eligible women undergo mammography, indicating a missed opportunity for earlier LC detection.
• Integrating LCS with mammography programs could enhance early lung cancer diagnosis.
• This integrated approach may help reduce screening disparities, particularly for rural populations.