The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued updated recommendations that were published in JAMA regarding screening of lung cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., and the goal of expanded screening is to detect it early enough to cure it in more individuals at high risk as those who smoke. Large studies have concluded that among people at high risk, annual CT scans can reduce the risk of death from cancer by up to 25%. The expert panel recommended that individuals with a long history of smoking should begin receiving low-dose CT scans at age 50, five years earlier than the group recommended in 2013.
