New guidance expands the lung screening landscape
This issue includes stories on screening for lung cancer, physician well-being during COVID-19, and the benefits of cardiac rehab.
In March 2021, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated its recommendations on screening for lung cancer, lowering the threshold for annual screening from a 30 pack-year history to 20 and the starting age from 55 years to 50 among current smokers and those who have quit within the past 15 years. A modeling study commissioned by the Task Force estimates that the new criteria will increase the number of eligible adults, decrease lung cancer mortality rates, and improve screening-related disparities. Low-dose CT screening, with its complicated follow-up, can be challenging to incorporate into clinical practice, but the potential benefits are well worth the effort, experts say. Our cover story provides up-to-date information on the new guidance and tips on how to implement it.
COVID-19 has taken both a physical and mental toll on physicians and physicians in training. In this issue, Senior Writer Mollie Frost offers a hopeful look at what ACP and ACP members have been doing over the past two years to ease the strain. ACP's Well-being Champions found new ways to support both their colleagues and each other, ACP's New York Chapter began monthly "Small Feedings of the Soul" sessions where authors were invited to read and discuss their works, and ACP members in Utah continued a hiking challenge begun before the pandemic. Read our second cover story for more examples of this kind of resilience in action.
The two years of the pandemic have seen remarkable advances in testing and treatment. For an update on what's new in COVID-19 medicine, read our report, where we summarize the latest ACP/Annals of Internal Medicine COVID-19 forum, focusing on outpatient testing, isolation, and treatment.
Despite the strong evidence base on cardiac rehabilitation for preventing secondary cardiac events, data show that these programs can be woefully underused. There are multiple reasons why, according to experts: Referrals can be complex, for example, and patients may have difficulties with insurance coverage or lack transportation to a rehab facility. Our story provides an overview of the benefits and offers some potential solutions.
ACP's Internal Medicine Meeting returns in person this year and will be held in Chicago on April 28-30, with precourses on April 26-27. Our meeting preview gives a rundown of what to expect, detailing old favorites, such as the Clinical Skills Center, and new additions, such as a live theatre performance. And also, in our third installment of Pearls from I.M. Peers, Clyde W. Yancy, MD, MSc, MACP, offers advice on the power of touch when evaluating a patient and explains why diagnosis should be an ongoing endeavor.
We hope to see you at Internal Medicine Meeting 2022 in Chicago. Email us at immatters@acponline.org and let us know what sessions you're most looking forward to.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Kearney-Strouse
Executive Editor
