(NewsNation) — Lung cancer screenings in the United States hit alarming lows last year, a report said.
An analysis from JAMA Network showed approximately 1 in 5 eligible individuals in the country underwent lung cancer screenings in 2024.
“Of screening-eligible individuals, 18.7% reported up-to-date LCS, with lower prevalence in those younger than 60 years vs 60 years or older,” researchers said.
The research, which utilised the 2024 National Health Interview Survey, also found that state-level data showed screening uptake is estimated to be between 9% and 31%. Furthermore, the findings showed that 12.7 million individuals were eligible to be screened for lung cancer, while 4,390 individuals were deemed ineligible for screening.
“Among screening-eligible individuals, 100% screening uptake was projected to prevent 62,110 lung cancer deaths over five years and gain 872,270 life-years,” researchers added.
Researchers acknowledged if screening-ineligible ever-smoking individuals had 100% screening uptake, nearly 30,000 additional deaths could be prevented and over 482,000 additional life-years possibly gained.