Proposed changes to lung cancer screening guidance could increase scans among Black patients, women
A prominent panel of physicians and other medical experts recommended Tuesday that a wider swath of people in the U.S. be screened for lung cancer every year — a suggestion that would see more Black patients and women eligible for potentially life-saving scans.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which advises the federal government on preventive care, released a draft recommendation that would nearly double the number of people eligible for annual CT scans to check for lung cancer. The proposal would start annual screenings at age 50, instead of the current recommendation of 55. It would also encompass people without the heaviest smoking histories currently used to determine whether a person is at high risk of lung cancer. The panel said that changing the guidelines could lead to higher screening rates among Black patients and women, who tend to smoke fewer cigarettes than white men — and, in the case of Black patients, are also at higher risk of lung cancer.
