The life-saving benefit of finding and treating lung cancer early is undeniable. That is why GO2 for Lung Cancer’s community advocates for screening and the expansion of this benefit to more people at risk. It is also why we work to instill responsible screening and care by growing a network of dedicated community hospitals across the country. Lung cancer screening is central to our mission of doubling survival by 2025.

USPTF Draft Recommendation

A positive recent development aligns with this life-saving goal. On July 7, the United States Preventive Task Force (USPTF), an independent governing body that evaluates and offers recommendations on the benefits of preventive services, gave a new thumbs up to lung cancer screening, recommending (in draft) its expansion to others who would benefit from this service.

As background, every five years USPSTF conducts reviews of studies and information on screening services and offers its recommendations on the benefit of such services to the public.  Following the 2011 clinical trials that proved lung cancer screening could save lives, USPSTF took up its review of the scientific breakthrough by recommending that those aged 55-80 with a 30 pack-year smoking history qualify for this early detection. After a public comment period, this recommendation was formalized in 2013.  Subsequently, Medicare and most commercial payers moved to fully cover the costs of this screening service for this specific at-risk group.

This was good news. But, unfortunately, this age-range and pack-year determination failed to capture additional people who, because of their younger age or shorter smoking history, fell outside of the defined high-risk criteria. Joined by other committed public health providers, we immediately went to work to build our case for the future expansion of this benefit to others.

We succeeded. The recent USPSTF draft recommendation could effectively open the screening service to more widespread use and save as many as 60,000 people at risk for lung cancer each year. The draft recommendation proposes to expand the benefit by lowering the age minimum to age 50 and shortening the smoking history to 20-pack years.

GO2 Foundation Response to the USPSTF Draft Recommendation

The USPSTF solicited comments from interested communities like ours at GO2 for Lung Cancer. We submitted formal comments in support of this recommendation, but also made clear that the draft recommendation needs additional revisions if we truly want to remove barriers to access to this preventive service. GO2 for Lung Cancer strongly urged the USPSTF to refine their recommendation and remove the screening limitations that would halt screening for individuals who 1) quit smoking more than 15 years ago or 2) had passed the age of 80.

We explained that at a time when lung cancer remains the number one cancer killer and screening uptake trends are very low1, the USPSTF cannot diminish and discriminate against thousands of Americans. Evidence shows that those who turned 80 years old or stopped smoking 15 years and one day ago remain at a high risk of lung cancer.

What’s Next

We hope that between now and when the final recommendation is issued that we will have prevailed in removing these added barriers as outlined in our comments to the USPSTF. We know our comments are echoed by a vast number of other organizations, doctors, researchers, and public health experts in the field.

BE assured that GO2 for Lung Cancer will closely monitor the USPSTF draft recommendation for lung cancer screening. We anticipate a flexible nine-month timeline from review of public comments and vote to the final formalized recommendation announcement.

We are committed to transforming survivorship. Whatever it takes. Whatever the need. We get it done together.

Bonnie J. Addario
Co-Founder and Board Chair		 Laurie Fenton Ambrose
Co-Founder, CEO and President

1 Okereke IC, Nishi S, Zhou J. Trends in lung cancer screening in the United States, 2016-2017. J Thorac Dis. 2019;11(3):873–881.doi: 10.21037/jtd.2019.01.105. PMCID: PMC6462682.