For a study, researchers sought to assess the occurrence and consequences of comorbidities in a real-world population receiving low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans. Investigators calculated the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) for patients in an integrated safety-net healthcare system who received a first low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for lung cancer screening between February 2017 and February 2019. Using multivariable logistic regression, they studied the association between CCI and initial LDCT completion. They assessed the association between specific medical comorbidity and LDCT completion using the Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test as appropriate. There were a total of 1,358 patients enrolled in the study. The average age was 63 years, 57% were female, and 50% were black. The patients’ comorbidity burden was moderate (median CCI=3), with chronic pulmonary illness being the most prevalent comorbidity. About 70% of the 943 LDCTs were completed. CCI found no difference between 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year completion rates for the initial LDCT. Nevertheless, 30-day LDCT completion rates increased over time (P<.001). The Lung-RADS score was unrelated to CCI. In the actual world, patients receiving lung cancer screening have a moderate burden of comorbidities. The degree and type of medical comorbidity were unrelated to the completion or findings of the initial screening. As program experience increases, the LDCT might be completed more promptly.
Source – clinical-lung-cancer.com/article/S1525-7304(22)00057-2/fulltext
