Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2016 Nov;71(11):996-1005.
doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2016-208283. Epub 2016 Jul 28.

Long-term psychosocial outcomes of low-dose CT screening: results of the UK Lung Cancer Screening randomised controlled trial

Kate Brain  1 , Kate J Lifford  1 , Ben Carter  1 , Olivia Burke  1 , Fiona McRonald  2 , Anand Devaraj  3 , David M Hansell  3 , David Baldwin  4 , Stephen W Duffy  5 , John K Field  6
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Long-term psychosocial outcomes of low-dose CT screening: results of the UK Lung Cancer Screening randomised controlled trial

Kate Brain et al. Thorax. 2016 Nov.

Abstract

Background: The UK Lung Cancer Screening (UKLS) trial is a randomised pilot trial of low-dose CT (LDCT) screening for individuals at high risk of lung cancer. We assessed the long-term psychosocial impact on individuals participating in the UKLS trial.

Methods: A random sample of individuals aged 50-75 years was contacted via primary care. High-risk individuals who completed T0 questionnaires (baseline) were randomised to LDCT screening (intervention) or usual care (no screening control). T1 questionnaires were sent 2 weeks after baseline scan results or control assignment. T2 questionnaires were sent up to 2 years after recruitment. Measures included cancer distress, anxiety, depression and decision satisfaction.

Results: A total of 4037 high-risk individuals were randomised and they completed T0 questionnaires (n=2018 intervention, n=2019 control). Cancer distress was higher at T1 in intervention arm participants who received positive screening results (p≤0.001), but not at T2 (p=0.04). T2 anxiety (p≤0.001) and depression (p≤0.01) were higher in the control arm, but the absolute differences were small and not clinically relevant. At both time points, fewer control than screened participants were satisfied with their decision to participate in UKLS (p≤0.001). Regardless of trial allocation, cancer distress was higher in women (p≤0.01), participants aged ≤65 years (p≤0.001), current smokers (p≤0.001), those with lung cancer experience (p≤0.001) and those recruited from the Liverpool area (p≤0.001).

Conclusion: Lung cancer screening using LDCT appears to have no clinically significant long-term psychosocial impact on high-risk participants. Strategies for engaging and supporting underserved groups are the key to implement routine lung cancer screening in the UK.

Trial registration number: ISRCTN 78513845; results.

Keywords: Imaging/CT MRI etc; Lung Cancer; Psychology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Screening results.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Trial flow chart.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Cancer Research UK. Lung cancer statistics. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/st... (accessed 13 Nov 2015).
    1. Walters S, Benitez-Majano S, Muller P, et al. Is England closing the international gap in cancer survival? Brit J Cancer 2015;113:848–60. 10.1038/bjc.2015.265 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lyratzopoulos G, Abel GA, Brown CH, et al. Socio-demographic inequalities in stage of cancer diagnosis: evidence from patients with female breast, lung, colon, rectal, prostate, renal, bladder, melanoma, ovarian and endometrial cancer. Ann Oncol 2013;24:843–50. 10.1093/annonc/mds526 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aberle DR, Adams AM, Berg CD, et al. , National Lung Screening Trial Research Team. Reduced lung-cancer mortality with low-dose computed tomographic screening. N Engl J Med 2011;365:395–409. 10.1056/NEJMoa1102873 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. O'Connor GT, Hatabu H. Lung cancer screening, radiation, risks, benefits, and uncertainty. JAMA 2012;307:2434–5. - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data