LDCT lung cancer screening eligibility and use of CT scans for lung cancer among sexual minorities

Philip Veliz; Alicia K Matthews; Cynthia Arslanian-Engoren; Rebecca J Evans-Polce; Joseph G L Lee; Carol J Boyd; Tonda Hughes; Vita V McCabe; Sean Esteban McCabe

doi:10.1016/j.canep.2019.03.009

LDCT lung cancer screening eligibility and use of CT scans for lung cancer among sexual minorities

Cancer Epidemiol. 2019 Jun:60:51-54. doi: 10.1016/j.canep.2019.03.009. Epub 2019 Mar 23.

Authors

Philip Veliz¹, Alicia K Matthews², Cynthia Arslanian-Engoren³, Rebecca J Evans-Polce³, Joseph G L Lee⁴, Carol J Boyd⁵, Tonda Hughes⁶, Vita V McCabe⁷, Sean Esteban McCabe⁸

Affiliations

¹ Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, 400 N. Ingalls, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Institute for Research on Women and Gender, University of Michigan, 204 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Electronic address: ptveliz@umich.edu.
² College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 S. Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
³ Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, 400 N. Ingalls, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
⁴ Department of Health Education and Promotion, College of Health and Human Performance, East Carolina University, 1000 East 5th Street, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA.
⁵ Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, 400 N. Ingalls, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Institute for Research on Women and Gender, University of Michigan, 204 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Addiction Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
⁶ School of Nursing, Columbia University, 560 W. 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
⁷ Lung Care and Center for Tobacco-Free Living, St. Joseph Mercy Health System, 5333 McAuley Drive, RHB-4005, Ann Abor, MI 48197, USA.
⁸ Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, 400 N. Ingalls, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Institute for Research on Women and Gender, University of Michigan, 204 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Road, North Campus Research Complex (NCRC), Building 16, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.

Abstract

Objective: To compare eligibility for lung cancer screening and receipt of a CT scan for lung cancer among sexual minorities.

Methods: Secondary data analysis of cross-sectional data from older U.S. adults in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey during the 2017 cycle (n = 20,685).

Results: Rates of eligibility for low-dose helical computed tomography (LDCT) were roughly twice as high among sexual minorities than among heterosexuals (21.1% vs. 11.7%). The odds of gay men and lesbian women indicating eligibility for LDCT screening were four to five times higher when compared to their heterosexual peers. No statistically significant differences were found between sexual minorities and heterosexuals with respect to having a CT scan for lung cancer in the past year.

Conclusions: There are potential sexual-identity-related disparities in the utilization of lung cancer screening among eligible smokers. Interventions are needed to increase awareness and uptake of lung cancer screening in order to detect and manage this common form of cancer in the U.S.

Keywords: Lung cancer; Screening; Sexual minorities.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Aged
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Cross-Sectional Studies
Early Detection of Cancer / methods
Early Detection of Cancer / statistics & numerical data*
Female
Gender Identity
Humans
Lung Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
Lung Neoplasms / epidemiology*
Male
Middle Aged
Sexual and Gender Minorities / statistics & numerical data*
Tomography, Spiral Computed / methods
Tomography, Spiral Computed / statistics & numerical data*
United States / epidemiology

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding