1. Initial surgical experience following implementation of lung cancer screening at an urban safety net hospital
- Author
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Virginia R. Litle, Kei Suzuki, Hasmeena Kathuria, Katrina Steiling, Juan A. Muñoz-Largacha, Carmel Fitzgerald, and Marjory Charlot
- Subjects
Male ,Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Lung Neoplasms ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Psychological intervention ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Cancer screening ,Urban Health Services ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Medical diagnosis ,Socioeconomic status ,Early Detection of Cancer ,Aged ,Retrospective Studies ,Aged, 80 and over ,business.industry ,Cancer ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Emergency medicine ,Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery ,Female ,Surgery ,National Lung Screening Trial ,Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine ,business ,Safety-net Providers ,Lung cancer screening - Abstract
Background Safety net hospitals provide care mostly to low-income, uninsured, and vulnerable populations, in whom delays in cancer screening are established barriers. Socioeconomic barriers might pose important challenges to the success of a lung cancer screening program at a safety net hospital. We aimed to determine screening follow-up compliance, rates of diagnostic and treatment procedures, and the rate of cancer diagnosis in patients classified as category 4 by the Lung CT Screening Reporting and Data System (Lung-RADS 4). Methods We conducted a retrospective review of all patients enrolled in our multidisciplinary lung cancer screening program between March 2015 and July 2016. Demographics, smoking status, Lung-RADS score, and number of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions and cancer diagnoses were captured. Results A total of 554 patients were screened over a 16-month period. The mean patient age was 63 years (range, 47-85 years), and 60% were male. The majority (92%; 512 of 554) were classified as Lung-RADS 1 to 3, and 8% (42 of 554) were classified as Lung-RADS 4. Among the Lung-RADS 4 patients, 98% (41 of 42) completed their recommended follow-up; 29% (12 of 42) underwent a diagnostic procedure, for an overall diagnostic intervention rate of 2% (12 of 554). Eleven of these 12 patients had cancer, and 1 patient had sarcoidosis. The overall rate of surgical resection was 0.9% (5 of 554), and the rate of diagnostic intervention for noncancer diagnosis was 0.1% (1 of 554). Conclusions Implementation of a multidisciplinary lung cancer screening program at a safety net hospital is feasible. Compliance with follow-up and interventional recommendations in Lung-RADS 4 patients was high despite anticipated social challenges. Overall diagnostic and surgical resection rates and interventions for noncancer diagnosis were low in our initial experience.
- Published
- 2018
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