Balancing the benefits and harms of low-dose computed tomography screening for lung cancer: Medicare's options for coverage.

Abstract

Ideas and Opinions16 September 2014Balancing the Benefits and Harms of Low-Dose Computed Tomography Screening for Lung Cancer: Medicare's Options for CoverageRenda Soylemez Wiener, MD, MPHRenda Soylemez Wiener, MD, MPHFrom Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, and Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M14-1352 Annals Author Insight Video - Renda Soylemez Wiener, MD, MPH In this video, Renda Soylemez Wiener, MD, MPH, offers additional insight into her Ideas and Opinions piece, "Balancing the Benefits and Harms of Low-Dose Computed Tomography Screening for Lung Cancer: Medicare’s Options for Coverage." SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail On 30 April 2014, the Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC) convened to weigh the evidence for low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for lung cancer. Many were shocked by the outcome: a vote of low confidence about whether the benefits of LDCT screening would outweigh harms among Medicare beneficiaries in a community setting. After all, LDCT screening was shown to reduce mortality in the NLST (National Lung Screening Trial) (1), a multicenter randomized trial enrolling more than 53 000 participants at high risk for lung cancer, and multiple guidelines now recommend LDCT screening for high-risk persons. Indeed, on the ...