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Increased Utilization of Low-Dose CT for Lung Cancer Screening at an Arkansas Community Oncology Clinic.
- Source :
-
Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR [J Am Coll Radiol] 2024 Jun; Vol. 21 (6), pp. 858-866. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Nov 19. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Background: Low-dose CT (LDCT) is underused in Arkansas for lung cancer screening, a rural state with a high incidence of lung cancer. The objective was to determine whether offering free LDCT increased the number of high-risk individuals screened in a rural catchment area.<br />Methods: There were 5,402 patients enrolled in screening at Highlands Oncology, a community oncology clinic in Northwest Arkansas, from 2013 to 2020. Screenings were separated into time periods: period 1 (10 months for-fee), period 2 (10 months free with targeted advertisements and primary care outreach), and period 3 (62 months free with only primary care outreach). In all, 5,035 high-risk participants were eligible for analysis based on National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. Enrollment rates, incidence densities (IDs), Cox proportional hazard models, and Kaplan-Meier curves were performed to investigate differences between enrollment periods and high-risk groups.<br />Results: Patient volume increased drastically once screenings were offered free of charge (period 1 = 4.6 versus period 2 = 66.0 and period 3 = 69.8 average patients per month). Incidence density per 1,000 person-years increased through each period (ID <subscript>Period 1</subscript>  = 17.2; ID <subscript>Period 2</subscript>  = 20.8; ID <subscript>Period 3</subscript>  = 25.5 cases). Cox models revealed significant differences in lung cancer risk between high-risk groups (P = .012) but not enrollment periods (P = .19). Kaplan-Meier lung cancer-free probabilities differed significantly between high-risk groups (log-rank P = .00068) but not enrollment periods (log-rank P = .18).<br />Conclusions: This study suggests that eligible patients are more receptive to free LDCT screening, despite most insurances not having a required copay for eligible patients.<br /> (Copyright © 2023 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1558-349X
- Volume :
- 21
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 37984767
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacr.2023.09.015