Disparities exist in adherence to lung cancer screening follow-up, study finds
Campaigns for improvement should target primary care clinicians to increase awareness of the benefits of lung cancer screening, the authors noted.
Black patients had 33% lower odds than White patients of adhering to follow-up lung cancer screening recommendations after initial screening despite a greater potential lung cancer mortality benefit, a study found.
To assess disparities in lung cancer screening participation and adherence to follow-up in clinical practice, researchers conducted a systematic review through October 2020 of published studies that examined rates of adherence to follow-up by race. Seven studies were included in the meta-analysis. Results were published Aug. 11 by CHEST.
The median rate of adherence to follow-up was 37% (range, 16% to 82%). Studies differed widely in the proportion of Black patients included, ranging from 4% to 47%. The meta-analysis found lower adherence to lung cancer screening follow-up among Black patients compared to patients of other races (odds ratio, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.55 to 0.80), a disparity that persisted across all levels of malignancy risk. In the high-risk group, Black patients had 44% lower odds of adhering to screening recommendations.
The study authors called for more outreach to eligible Black patients through campaigns targeted to clinicians to increase awareness of the benefits of screening in Black patients. Trust and clinician engagement in screening may motivate conversations with patients, and use of a centralized screening program and a coordinator could also raise screening rates, the authors wrote. They noted that their analysis also revealed the dearth of literature on the impact of race on lung cancer screening adherence.