For a study, researchers sought to understand that lung cancer screening trials frequently enlist dedicated, motivated, and generally healthy people. They, therefore, used low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans on a real-world population to assess the prevalence and consequences of comorbidities. For patients whose initial low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for lung cancer screening was scheduled between February 2017 and February 2019 in an integrated safety-net healthcare system, they estimated the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Depending on the situation, multivariable logistic regression, the Chi-square test, or Fisher’s exact test was used to evaluate the association between a particular medical comorbidity and LDCT completion, and the relationship between CCI and LDCT Lung-RADS results was evaluated using Fisher’s exact test. The analysis comprised 1,358 patients in total. About 63 years old on average, 57% female, and 50% Black. The patients had a modest load of comorbidities, with the chronic pulmonary illness being the most prevalent and a median CCI score of 3. About 943 LDCTs, or almost 70% of the total, were finished. According to CCI, the first LDCT completion rates at 30, 90, and 1 year were comparable. On the other hand, 30-day LDCT completion rates did rise over time (P<.001) There was no correlation between Lung-RADS scores and CCI. Patients receiving a lung cancer screening in real life have moderate comorbidities. No relationship existed between the kind and severity of medical comorbidity and how well or poorly the initial screening was performed. The time it took to complete an LDCT could shorten as program experience increases.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1525730422000572
