Identifying lung cancer in Emergency Department patients outside national lung cancer screening guidelines

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Key findings

• Factors such as older age, female sex, and non-English language preference could enhance the effectiveness of diagnostic screening by identifying at-risk populations for lung cancer at Emergency Department (ED).

What is known and what is new?

• We have already known that lung cancer screening criteria have been used for determining individuals at risk of lung cancer. However, we are still uncertain whether such screening criteria can be used among patients only present at ED for seeking their primary care.

What is the implication, and what should change now?

• Our findings showed that using current lung cancer screening criteria may not be sufficient for ED lung cancer screening. Incorporating additional factors such as older age, female sex, and non-English language preference could enhance the effectiveness of diagnostic screening by identifying at-risk populations that may otherwise be overlooked.

Publication: Wang H, Cheeti R, Murray M, Muirheid TA, McDowell J, Sambamoorthi U. Identifying lung cancer in Emergency Department patients outside national lung cancer screening guidelines. J Thorac Dis 2025;17(2):695-706. doi: 10.21037/jtd-24-1399