A study published online late this summer in JAMA Network Open found that e-cigarette use is associated with reduced lung cancer screening (LCS) uptake.
Qian Wang, MD, MPH, of the Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals Cleveland, and colleagues examined this association in a cross-sectional study. They selected individuals who smoked cigarettes and were eligible for DCP according to the 2021 US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
The study included data from 22 eligible individuals. Of these, 713% had completed a DCP and 26,7% were up-to-date with their DCP testing. Individuals who had completed a DCP were generally older, more likely to have lower income, comorbidities, poorer general health, and were less likely to be uninsured. Compared with those who did not complete a DCP, those who completed a DCP were less likely to have used e-cigarettes.
After adjusting for confounders, current e-cigarette users had a lower likelihood of having a DCP (odds ratio 0,79), with similar trends for former combustible cigarette users (odds ratio 0,73). Compared with non-e-cigarette users, current users were also less likely to be up-to-date with their DCP (odds ratio 0,67). Similar results were observed among former combustible cigarette smokers currently using e-cigarettes (odds ratio 0,54).
“Former smokers using e-cigarettes remain at increased risk of lung cancer and should be targeted for interventions to improve DCP adherence,” the authors write.
Several authors of the study reported ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.
