Only 1 in 4 Eligible Adults Gets Lung Cancer Screening Despite Life-Saving Potential

Lung cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, yet a new study reveals that most eligible Americans are skipping a screening test that could catch it early enough to save their lives. Published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the research analyzed 2024 national survey data to assess how many high-risk adults are keeping up with annual low-dose CT lung cancer screening — and the results are sobering.

Only 24.49% of adults who met U.S. Preventive Services Task Force eligibility criteria — current or recent smokers aged 50–80 with a 20-plus pack-year history — were up to date on screening in 2024. That's an improvement of 6 percentage points over 2022, but it pales against screening rates for colorectal cancer (67.4%), cervical cancer (75.4%), and breast cancer (80%). A decade after the first USPSTF recommendation for lung cancer screening, uptake remains critically low.

Disparities are stark. Screening rates were lowest among the youngest eligible adults (ages 50–54, at just 11.3%) and rose with age, reaching 31.2% among those 75–79. People with military-related insurance or Medicare were more likely to be screened than those with private insurance, while the uninsured fared worst. Racial and ethnic gaps also persist, though the study sample was 78% white.

A troubling paradox emerged: current smokers — who face the highest lung cancer risk — are screened less frequently than former smokers. Researchers argue this underscores the need to integrate smoking cessation programs directly with screening outreach, rather than treating them as separate interventions.

The study's authors and UCSF editors agree that progress is real but insufficient. Structural barriers — including lack of awareness, limited access, and insurance gaps — continue to block high-risk individuals from a test that can detect lung cancer at a treatable stage. Expanding targeted outreach and policy support is urgently needed.