New data published in JAMA reveal only 1-in-5 eligible US adults receive lung cancer screening, and experts say over 60,000 additional lives could be saved in the next five years if 100% were screened.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- Severely Low Uptake – Only about 1-in-5 eligible US adults received lung cancer screening in 2024, resulting in a major missed opportunity for early detection.
- Tripled Impact Potential – Modeling shows that achieving 100% screening among eligible individuals could triple the number of lung cancer deaths prevented and life-years gained compared with current uptake.
- Expanded Eligibility Benefits – Screening ever-smokers aged 50–80 regardless of years since quitting could further prevent tens of thousands of deaths, supporting recent guideline expansions by ACS and NCCN.
Only an estimated 1-in-5 eligible individuals in the United States received lung cancer screening (LCS) in 2024, and increasing current uptake to 100% could raise the number of lung cancer deaths prevented and life-years-gained by threefold, according to findings published in JAMA.
“It’s disappointing that lung cancer screening uptake remains this low,” said Dr. Priti Bandi, scientific director, cancer risk factors and screening surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the study. “More sobering is that this low uptake is translating into a real missed opportunity as 3 times more lung cancer deaths could be prevented (or lives saved) if everyone eligible were screened.”
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in the US, with around 225,000 new cases diagnosed in 2025, and the leading cause of cancer death, with 125,000 deaths from lung cancer in 2025. Annual LCS reduces lung cancer mortality and is recommended by ACS and the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).
For this study, researchers led by the American Cancer Society (ACS) used the 2024 National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative cross-sectional household survey of non-institutionalized civilians. Study results showed that 12.76 million individuals were eligible for lung cancer screening according to the USPSTF eligibility criteria (55% male, 66.4% aged 60 or older, 82.4% non-Hispanic White). Of screening-eligible individuals, only 18.7% reported being up to date with lung cancer screening. If screening increased to 100%, an estimated 62,110 lung cancer deaths over 5 years would be prevented and 872,270 life-years would be gained. At current screening uptake, only about a quarter of these projected gains are being achieved: 14,970 deaths prevented, and 190,030 life-years gained.
This study also projected deaths prevented and life-years gained in those ineligible for screening according to the USPSTF criteria (an estimated 28.08 million ever-smoking individuals aged 50-80 years). If these individuals had 100% screening uptake, an estimated 29,690 additional deaths would be prevented and 482,410 additional life-years gained. About 30% or more of this benefit would occur in those with 15 years or more since quitting and 20 or more pack-years (the ACS in 2023 eliminated the years since quitting requirement for LCS eligibility, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network followed suit in 2025).
“We need to raise these screening numbers. If you’re aged 50-80 and have ever smoked, talk to your doctor to find out if you’re eligible for lung cancer screening and whether it would be appropriate for you,” added Bandi. “Also, expanding current screening eligibility irrespective of years since quitting is warranted and could help save lives.”
The American Cancer Society’s advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), continues to work at all levels of government to advocate for access to lung cancer screenings.
“This research underscores the urgent need to protect and expand access to care to ensure people are able to immediately utilize preventive and early detection screenings at no cost,” said Lisa Lacasse, president of the ACS CAN. “ACS CAN will continue to work with lawmakers to improve access to lifesaving screenings and decrease lung cancer deaths, as well as eliminating patient costs for screening and follow-up tests by all payers, bringing us closer to ending cancer as we know it, for everyone.”
