Coronary Artery Calcification in Lung Cancer Screening Participants
Author Information
Author(s): Asha Bonney, Michelle Chua, Mark W. McCusker, Diane Pascoe, Subodh B. Joshi, Daniel Steinfort, Henry Marshall, Jeremy D. Silver, Cheng Xie, Sally Yang, Jack Watson, Paul Fogarty, Emily Stone, Fraser Brims, Annette McWilliams, XinXin Hu, Christopher Rofe, Brad Milner, Stephen Lam, Kwun M. Fong, Renee Manser
Primary Institution: University of Melbourne
Hypothesis
What is the prevalence of coronary artery calcification detected on low-dose computed tomography in high-risk lung cancer screening participants?
Conclusion
The study found that a significant number of lung cancer screening participants had coronary artery calcification, indicating a high risk for cardiovascular disease.
Supporting Evidence
- 55% of participants had coronary artery calcification detected on low-dose computed tomography.
- 23% of participants had moderate to severe coronary artery calcification.
- Only 10% of participants with coronary artery calcification received lifestyle advice.
- 80% of high-risk participants did not meet guideline recommendations for cardiovascular care.
- 21% of participants were re-stratified to a higher cardiovascular risk group due to detected coronary artery calcification.
Takeaway
Many people getting checked for lung cancer also have heart problems that need attention, but not everyone is getting the help they need.
Methodology
This was a prospective observational nested cohort study involving participants from a single Australian site of the International Lung Screen Trial, where baseline low-dose computed tomography scans were reviewed for coronary artery calcification.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to self-referral of participants and lack of engagement with general practitioners regarding results.
Limitations
The study was limited to a single center with a smaller sample size and a predominantly Caucasian population.
Participant Demographics
Participants were primarily aged 55-80 years, with a high prevalence of current smokers (53%) and a majority being male (68%).
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.001
Confidence Interval
0.30, 0.53
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website