Patients at high-risk for lung cancer are more likely to receive screening when primary care provider is familiar with guideline recommendations

CHICAGO, ILL.Patients at high-risk for developing lung cancer are more likely to receive low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening when their primary care provider is familiar with guideline recommendations for LDCT screening for lung cancer, according to research presented today at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

An online survey was sent to 488 primary care providers, including physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners affiliated with Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina, to identify their knowledge of, practice of and attitudes about lung cancer screening. The survey measured the provider’s use of lung cancer screening tests in the past year; the perceived effectiveness of LDCT screening in reducing lung cancer-specific mortality; knowledge of LDCT consensus guidelines; perceived barriers to LDCT screening; and interest in further education about LDCT screening for lung cancer.

“The results of this survey highlight an essential need for provider education on the effectiveness of low-dose CT screening for lung cancer, on lung cancer screening guideline recommendations and the potential benefits and harms of screening,” said Jennifer Lewis, MD, lead study author and a chief resident in the Department of Internal Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. “It is also important to provide additional education for patients so that they can participate with their primary care provider in making informed decisions about lung cancer screening.”

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Marguerite Beck: marbeck@wakehealth.edu, 336-716-2415