Search Results

Background: Accurate staging for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is critical for determining appropriate therapy. The clinical impact of increasing PET adoption and stage migration is well described in non–small cell lung cancer but not in SCLC. The objective of this study was to evaluate temporal trends in PET staging and survival in the Veterans Affairs Central Cancer Registry and the impact of PET on outcomes. Patients and Methods: Patients diagnosed with SCLC from 2001 to 2010 were identified. PET staging, overall survival (OS), and lung cancer–specific survival (LCSS) were assessed over time. The impact of PET staging on OS and LCSS was assessed for limited-stage (LS) and extensive-stage (ES) SCLC. Results: From 2001 to 2010, PET use in a total of 10,135 patients with SCLC increased from 1.1% to 39.2%. Median OS improved for all patients (from 6.2 to 7.9 months), those with LS-SCLC (from 10.9 to 13.2 months), and those with ES-SCLC (from 5.0 to 7.0 months). Among staged patients, the proportion of ES-SCLC increased from 63.9% to 65.7%. Among 1,536 patients with LS-SCLC treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy, 397 were staged by PET. In these patients, PET was associated with longer OS (median, 19.8 vs 14.3 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68–0.90; P<.0001) and LCSS (median, 22.9 vs 16.7 months; HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.63–0.87; P<.0001) with multivariate adjustment and propensity-matching. In the 6,143 patients with ES-SCLC, PET was also associated with improved OS and LCSS. Conclusions: From 2001 to 2010, PET staging increased in this large cohort, with a corresponding relative increase in ES-SCLC. PET was associated with greater OS and LCSS for LS-SCLC and ES-SCLC, likely reflecting stage migration and stage-appropriate therapy. These findings emphasize the importance of PET in SCLC and support its routine use.

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Lung Cancer Screening provide recommendations for selecting individuals for lung cancer screening, and for evaluation and follow-up of nodules found during screening, and are intended to assist with clinical and shared decision-making. These NCCN Guidelines Insights focus on the major updates to the 2015 NCCN Guidelines for Lung Cancer Screening, which include a revision to the recommendation from category 2B to 2A for one of the high-risk groups eligible for lung cancer screening. For low-dose CT of the lung, the recommended slice width was revised in the table on “Low-Dose Computed Tomography Acquisition, Storage, Interpretation, and Nodule Reporting.”

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States and worldwide. Early detection of lung cancer is an important opportunity for decreasing mortality. Data support using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) of the chest to screen select patients who are at high risk for lung cancer. Lung screening is covered under the Affordable Care Act for individuals with high-risk factors. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) covers annual screening LDCT for appropriate Medicare beneficiaries at high risk for lung cancer if they also receive counseling and participate in shared decision-making before screening. The complete version of the NCCN Guidelines for Lung Cancer Screening provides recommendations for initial and subsequent LDCT screening and provides more detail about LDCT screening. This manuscript focuses on identifying patients at high risk for lung cancer who are candidates for LDCT of the chest and on evaluating initial screening findings.

The NCCN Guidelines for Lung Cancer Screening recommend criteria for selecting individuals for screening and provide recommendations for evaluation and follow-up of lung nodules found during initial and subsequent screening. These NCCN Guidelines Insights focus on recent updates to the NCCN Guidelines for Lung Cancer Screening.