American Cancer Society Urges Increased Lung Cancer Screening for Adults

The American Cancer Society has updated its guidelines for lung cancer screening, recommending that nearly 5 million additional people be screened for the disease. The new guidelines include older adults who smoke or formerly smoked, regardless of how long ago they quit. The previous recommendation focused on adults aged 55 to 74 with a 30 pack-year smoking history, but the updated guideline now suggests annual screening for current or past smokers aged 50 to 80 with a 20 pack-year history. The American Cancer Society emphasizes that the risk of lung cancer continues for men and women in their 60s and above, making it crucial to screen during this time when the risk is highest. The updated recommendation is estimated to prevent 21% more lung cancer deaths compared to the previous guidelines.