Lung-RADS limits false readings and saves money in lung cancer screening, according to a study at ACR 2016.
Use of Lung-RADS will decrease Medicare costs over the next three years without affecting accuracy, according to a presentation at the 2016 annual meeting of the American College of Radiology.
Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington in Seattle sought to evaluate the potential impacts of using a standardized low-dose CT (LDCT) lung cancer screening reporting and management system, the Lung Imaging Reporting and Data System, or Lung-RADS, compared with the use of a less structured system, from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST). The study group involved patients aged 55 to 57, with a 30-pack-per-year or higher smoking history.
The researchers developed a simulation model to estimate the three-year incremental outcomes of screening using Lung-RADS compared with screening using the NLST protocol.
Projected outcomes were made for a Medicare population with 51.7 million members per year. The LDCT screening test characteristics were derived from the NLST. Costs that were included were:
• LDCT screening
• Follow-up imaging
• Confirmatory bronchoscopy/biopsy
• Stage-specific treatment
The outcomes were calculated assuming 100% adherence to Medicare screening criteria and nodule management protocols in the base case.
The results showed that an LDCT program in this patient group, over a three-year period, would be expected to see 1.3 million fewer false-positive screening results, 27,000 fewer invasive follow-up procedures, and decreased overall expenditure of $2.07 per-member per-year, for a total of $316 million.
The researchers concluded that their findings demonstrate that Lung-RADS can have important economic impacts in addition to reducing physical and psychological harms related to false-positive screening results.
Can Polyenergetic Reconstruction Help Resolve Streak Artifacts in Photon Counting CT?
July 22nd 2024New research looking at photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) demonstrated significantly reduced variation and tracheal air density attenuation with polyenergetic reconstruction in contrast to monoenergetic reconstruction on chest CT.
Systematic Review: PET/MRI May be More Advantageous than PET/CT in Cancer Imaging
July 18th 2024While PET/MRI and PET/CT had comparable sensitivity for patient-level regional nodal metastases and lesion-level recurrence, the authors of a systematic review noted that PET/MRI had significantly higher accuracy in breast cancer and colorectal cancer staging.
The Reading Room: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Cancer Screenings, and COVID-19
November 3rd 2020In this podcast episode, Dr. Shalom Kalnicki, from Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses the disparities minority patients face with cancer screenings and what can be done to increase access during the pandemic.
FDA Clears Enhanced Mobile CT System with High-Resolution Photon-Counting Technology
July 15th 2024Photon-counting CT-optimized features with the OmniTom Elite system include 30 cm field of view scanning, continuous spiral scanning, and an ultra-high-resolution capability of 0.141 mm resolution.