Should the latest guidelines proposal by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) for the screening of lung cancer take effect, GlobalData epidemiologists predict that the diagnosed incidence of the two main types of lung cancer* will likely surpass the current 2025 estimates of approximately 75 cases per 100,000 population and 13 cases per 100,000 population. The updated screening criteria would capture more cases and provide a more accurate picture of the burden of lung cancer in the US.

Natasha Karim, MPH, Managing Epidemiologist at GlobalData, comments: “The latest guidelines proposal would lower the minimum recommended screening age of current or former smokers from the current 55 years to 50, as well as reduce the ‘one-pack a day’ smoking history requirement from 30 years to 20. Smoking and age are the two biggest risk factors of lung cancer, so this new eligibility criteria would likely drive a significant increase in new lung cancer cases and impact lung cancer epidemiology for the next five years.”

Karim concludes: “With more Americans considered eligible for screening, this will provide a more accurate understanding of the burden of lung cancer through better case identification, earlier disease detection, and improved lung cancer health outcomes.”

* Non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer