Lung Cancer Screening in the COVID-19 Era: Understanding Program-Level Impact
Lynde Lutzow, MD1, Andrew Ciupek, PhD2, Angela Criswell, MA2, Leah Fine, MBA2, Jennifer C. King PhD2, Grace X. Ma, PhD3, Cherie P. Erkmen, MD1
1Temple University Hospital
2GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer
3Lewis Katz School of Medicine
Introduction: Lung Cancer Screening (LCS) reduces lung cancer mortality, yet utilization remains low. COVID-19 impact on LCS program components and uptake is unknown. Understanding program-level barriers in the context of COVID-19 will help guide resource allocation and inform optimization of LCS in the future.
Methods: The GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer conducts an annual, retrospective survey of United States (US) LCS programs. We partnered with the GO2 Foundation to add additional questions related to delivering LCS in the context of COVID-19. We conducted descriptive statistical analysis of 2021 survey results to understand program demographics and LCS program components most affected by COVID-19.
Results: Ninety-nine programs completed the survey. Nationally, the Southern, Northern, Midwestern, and Western regions represented33%, 28%, 25%, and 13% of respondents, respectively. Community programs represented 67% of respondents while academic centers represented 10%. Programs screened a median of 868 patients (Range 0 – 7,930; SD 1267) in 2020. Program components most significantly compromised by the COVID-19 pandemic were patient recruitment (85%), in-person consultation (79%), patient education (71%), access to radiology services (67%), and smoking cessation (60%). Sixty-two percent of respondents reported improved use of telemedicine.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest some of the most critical LCS components were most vulnerable to compromise. These findings underscore the importance of telemedicine in the delivery of LCS within the context of COVID-19. The importance of this survey effort cannot be overstated as it establishes an understanding of real-world LCS challenges and helps guide targeted solutions to optimize the future of LCS.
