Epidemiological impact of lung cancer screening by low dose CT scan in the French Department of the SOMME.

CONTEXT: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. In recent years, screening using low-dose CT scan has shown a reduction in lung cancer-related mortality and in all-cause mortality. The DEP KP80 study was implemented in the French department of the Somme with the aim of investigating lung cancer screening in practice. The results of the first round showed a prevalence of 2.7% for lung cancer, with the majority at localized stages (77%). The primary objective of our study was to compare the stage at diagnosis of patients with lung cancer screened as part of DEP KP80 and those who were not screened. The secondary objectives were to describe the epidemiological characteristics of lung cancer in the French department of the Somme for the period in question and to compare survival rates in screened and unscreened patients. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study compared from May 2016 to December 2017 the characteristics of patients with lung cancer screened as part of DEP KP80 and those who were not screened, using data from the Somme Cancer Registry. RESULTS: In total, 644 patients with lung cancer were included (18 in the screened group and 626 in the unscreened group). There was a significant inversion in the stage distribution at diagnosis, with a predominance of metastatic or locally advanced stages (69%) and a minority of early stages (31%) in unscreened patients, and a majority of early stages (77.8%) and a lower proportion of locally advanced or disseminated stages (22.2%) in screened patients (p < 0.01). In the screened group, there was a significant improvement in survival, a higher rate of surgical resection, and a longer time interval between first contact and treatment initiation. CONCLUSION: Lung cancer screening by low-dose CT scan in the French department of the Somme showed an impact on stage at diagnosis, with a majority of early stages in screened patients, allowing for curative treatment with a significant improvement in survival.

Lung Cancer Screening by Low-Dose CT Scan: Baseline Results of a French Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer mortality has been found to decrease significantly with low-dose (LD) computed tomographic (CT) screening among current or former smokers. However, such a screening program is not implemented in France. This study assessed the feasibility of a lung cancer screening program using LD CT scan in a French administrative territory. We report here the results of the first screening round. PATIENTS AND METHODS: DEP KP80 was a single-arm prospective study initiated in May 2016. Participants aged 55 to 74 years, current or former smokers of ≥ 30 pack-years, were recruited. An annual LD CT scan was scheduled. Our algorithms considered nodules < 5 mm as negative findings and nodules > 10 mm as positive; for intermediate nodules between 5 and 10 mm, 3-month CT scan with doubling time measurement was recommended. All general practitioners, pulmonologists, and radiologists from the Somme department were solicited to participate. Subjects were selected by general practitioners or pulmonologists who checked the inclusion criteria and prescribed the CT scan. RESULTS: Over a 2.5-year period, 1307 subjects were recruited. Screening was negative in 733 cases (77.2%), positive in 54 (5.7%), and indeterminate in 162 (17.1%). After the 3-month scans, 57 subjects screened positive: 26 patients exhibited 31 lung cancers (67.7% of stage 0 to I), of whom 76.9% underwent surgical resection, and 29 had no cancer (false-positive rate = 3.1%). The prevalence of lung cancer was 2.7%. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the feasibility of organized lung cancer screening using LD CT scan within a real-life context in the general population.