Controlled Settings for Lung Cancer Screening: Why Do They Matter? Considerations for Referring Clinicians

The updated guideline on lung cancer screening released in March 2016 by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care recommends screening for people at high risk for lung cancer. Annual screening with low-dose computed tomography (ldct) is recommended for up to 3 consecutive years for adults 55–74 years of age with a minimum 30 pack–year smoking history who are current smokers or who have quit within the preceding 15 years1. The Task Force recommendations also underscore the importance of delivering lung cancer screening in controlled health care settings so as to both minimize potential risks and replicate the 20% reduction in lung cancer mortality achieved in the U.S. National Lung Screening Trial (nlst)2, a major trial that informed the guideline. Lung cancer screening is not a test but a process that requires the integration of many elements3-8: