Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography at a tertiary hospital in Anhui, China and secondary analysis of trial data

Abstract

Objective: Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) partly reduces cancer-specific mortality. However, few data have described this specific population for screening in mainland China. Here, we conducted a population-based screening program in Anhui, China. Methods: 9084 individuals were participating in the screening program for lung cancer in Anhui province from 1 June 2014 to 31 May 2017. LDCT was offered to all participants who joined the program. Results: Of 9084 individuals undergoing LDCT, we detected 54 lung cancers (0.594%). The age with the highest rate was 61–65 years (up to 1.016%), followed by 56–60 (0.784%). Most patients (98.1%, 53/54) were in stage I–II (early stage), and only one was in stage III (advanced stage). Adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and small cell lung cancer accounted for 57.4% (31/54), 37% (20/54) and 5.6% (3/54) of the individuals, respectively. Notably, There were 4,102 never smokers in our study. The median age was 63 years. Males and females accounted for 53.4 and 46.6%, respectively. Among the 4102 never smokers, 96 participants had a positive family cancer history. Additionally, we detected 20 lung cancers (0.488%), slightly lower than the whole rate 0.594%. Finally, our data showed that age, smoking, family cancer history and features of nodules were risk factors for lung cancer. Conclusion: Our study qualified the efficiency of LDCT to detect early-stage lung cancers in Anhui, China. Further establishment of appropriate lung cancer screening methods specifically for individuals in China is warranted. Advances in knowledge: We evaluated the performance of lung cancer screening for asymptomatic populations using LDCT in Anhui, an eastern inland province of China. Our study qualified the efficiency of LDCT to detect early-stage lung cancers in Anhui, China.