Disparities exist in lung cancer outcomes between African Americans and white people. The current USPSTF lung cancer screening eligibility criteria may exacerbate racial disparities. This study was done to evaluate whether the PLCOm2012 risk prediction model more effectively selects African American ever-smokers for screening.
The study included 883 ever-smokers comprised of the following racial and ethnic makeup: 258 white, 497 African American, 69 Hispanic, 24 Asian, and 35 others. Compared with the USPSTF criteria, the PLCOm2012 model increased the sensitivity for the African American cohort at lung cancer risk thresholds of 1.51%, 1.70%, and 2.00% per 6 years. Of the African American ever-smokers who were PLCO1.7%-positive and USPSTF-negative, the criteria missed from the USPSTF were those with pack-years less than 30, quit time of greater than 15 years, and age less than 55 years.
The study concluded that the PLCOm2012 model was found to be preferable over the USPSTF criteria at identifying African American ever-smokers for lung cancer screening. The broader use of this model in racially diverse populations may help overcome disparities in lung cancer screening and outcomes.
Reference: https://www.jto.org/article/S1556-0864(20)30638-9/fulltext
