Screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography — a service available at the University of Alabama at Birmingham since July 2013 — now will be covered for eligible Medicare beneficiaries, according to a determination by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Feb. 5.
UAB was the first area hospital to offer such CT scans for early detection of lung cancer. The UAB screening was initiated following a landmark study that indicated CT scans could help reduce lung cancer deaths.
Findings from a large national study conducted by the National Cancer Institute published in 2011 in the New England Journal of Medicine indicated that low-dose radiation CT scans were an effective tool for early detection of lung cancer. The study found a 20 percent reduction in deaths from lung cancer among current or former heavy smokers who were screened with CT versus those screened by chest X-ray.
In December 2013, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended the use of such scans for heavy smokers.
“We had been searching for a reliable screening method for early detection of lung cancer for years,” said Mark Dransfield, M.D., associate professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine at UAB. “For the appropriate group of patients, CT scans are a valuable tool for identifying lung cancer in its early stages, when treatments are most effective. We’ve been offering CT scan screenings to our patients for more than a year and a half, and we’re delighted that CMS will now be providing coverage of this important screening tool.”
Medicare will cover lung-cancer screening with LDCT once per year for Medicare beneficiaries who meet all of the following criteria:
- Are between the ages of 55 and 77, and either are current smokers or have quit smoking within the past 15 years.
- Have a tobacco-smoking history of at least 30 “pack years,” an average of one pack a day for 30 years.
- Receive a written order from a physician or qualified nonphysician practitioner that meets certain requirements.
| “UAB is the only hospital in Alabama with board-certified, cardio-thoracic surgeons who perform only noncardiac thoracic surgery, and the judicious use of surgery for lung cancer can lead to high cure rates. This determination by CMS to cover CT screenings will greatly improve our chances of early detection and has been shown to save lives.” |
“We believe this final decision strikes an appropriate balance between providing access to this important preventive service and ensuring, to the best extent possible, that Medicare beneficiaries receive maximum benefit from a lung cancer screening program,” said Patrick Conway, M.D., chief medical officer and deputy administrator for innovation and quality for CMS.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, causing more deaths than breast, colon and prostate cancer combined. Cigarette smoking is the major cause of lung cancer.
“UAB is the only hospital in Alabama with board-certified, cardio-thoracic surgeons who perform only noncardiac thoracic surgery, and the judicious use of surgery for lung cancer can lead to high cure rates,” said Robert Cerfolio, M.D., professor of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at UAB. “This determination by CMS to cover CT screenings will greatly improve our chances of early detection and has been shown to save lives.”
Patients who get a CT scan screening at UAB will receive a written report from the radiologist who reads the scan. A report also will be sent to their primary-care physician. The report will describe any abnormalities found in the scan and present specific recommendations for follow-up.
More information on the UAB low-dose CT scan lung cancer screening program is online.