Millions more smokers and ex-smokers should receive free annual screenings for lung cancer...
Source: Washington Post
Millions more smokers and ex-smokers should receive free annual screenings for lung cancer, a federally appointed task force says
The recommendation would double the number of people eligible for the tests, but some experts worry about possible false positives and follow-up tests.
By Laurie McGinley
March 9, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. EST
A federally appointed task force recommended a major increase in the number of Americans eligible for free screening for lung cancer, saying expanded testing will save lives and especially benefit Black people and women.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent group of 16 physicians and scientists who evaluate preventive tests and medications, said people with a long history of smoking should begin receiving annual low-dose CT scans at age 50, five years earlier than the group recommended in 2013. The group also broadened the definition of people it considers at high risk for the disease.
The changes mean that 15 million people, nearly twice the current number, will be eligible for thescans to detect the No. 1 cancer killer in the United States. Under the Affordable Care Act, private insurers must cover services, without patient cost-sharing, that receive “A” or “B” recommendations from the task force. The lung cancer screening recommendation received a “B” rating. Medicare also generally follows the group’s guidance.
The recommendation was welcomed by many lung-cancer specialists but drew a more cautious reaction from some physicians who noted that the test can produce false positives — flagging a spot or growth that is benign — and lead to potentially costly and invasive follow-up tests such as biopsies.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/03/09/lung-cancer-screening/
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