Why is it important for primary care practices to screen for lung cancer?

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer for both men and women, and it also causes major morbidity among survivors. There is a strong rationale to screen for lung cancer in primary care based on the following:

• There is a high-risk target group (i.e., patients who currently smoke or formerly smoked).
• There are effective therapies when diagnosed early.
• There is a sensitive screening test available.

This module will introduce the Implementing Lung Cancer Screening in Primary Care project, discuss the history of lung cancer screening, the evidence for lung cancer screening, and issues related to stigma that may limit screening.

Objectives

At the conclusion of this module, the learner will be able to:

• Describe the evidence-based guidelines and rationale for lung cancer screening in primary care.
• Discuss the complexity of the tobacco/lung cancer relationship.
• Discuss barriers and stigma associated with lung cancer screening.