Many primary healthcare providers are unfamiliar with the guideline components for low-dose CT (LDCT) screening, and are uncertain as to the effectiveness of the procedure, according to a study presented recently at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.
As part of the study, researchers conducted a survey in which primary-care providers were asked about their knowledge of, practice of and attitudes toward lung cancer screening.
The survey determined that 24 percent of providers didn't know any of the guideline components for LDCT screening, while 30 percent were unsure of the effectiveness of LDCT screening in reducing cancer mortality. None of those 30 percent recommended LDCT for lung cancer screening for their patients.
"The results of this survey highlight an essential need for provider education on the effectiveness of low-dose CT screening for lung cancer, on lung cancer screening guideline recommendations and the potential benefits and harms of screening," Jennifer Lewis, lead study author and an assistant chief of medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said in an announcement. Announcement