Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42115568›Full record

ArticleJournal of general internal medicine2026

Estimating Lung Cancer Screening Eligibility in the Veterans Health Administration Using Patient-Reported Smoking Histories.

Lawrence N Benjamin, Yash Motwani, Carol M Mangione, Lillian Chen, Anita Yuan, Elizabeth M Yano, Donna L Washington, Christopher G Slatore, David A Elashoff

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of general internal medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Lawrence N BenjaminDepartment of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. LBenjamin@mednet.ucla.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0386-3632
Yash MotwaniDepartment of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Carol M MangioneDepartment of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Lillian ChenDepartment of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Anita YuanCenter for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation, and Policy (CSHIIP), VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Elizabeth M YanoDepartment of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Donna L WashingtonDepartment of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Christopher G SlatoreCenter to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care, Health Services Research COIN, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA.
David A ElashoffDepartment of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Funding

UCLA Clinical Translational Science InstituteUL1TR001881 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI ARLEEN F. BROWN, ARASH NAEIM · 2016 to 2026
$118.1M
UCLA Clinical and Translational Science InstituteUL1TR000124 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI DUBINETT, STEVEN M. · 2012 to 2015
$57.0M
The Center for Health Improvement of Minority ElderlyP30AG021684 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI Homero Erwin del Pino · 2002 to 2026
$19.7M
Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of California, Los Angeles UL1TR001881LUNGevity Foundation 2023-01NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000124NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001881NIA NIH HHS P30 AG021684NIMHD NIH HHS L60 MD018794
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe Veterans Health Administration (VHA) serves a population at increased risk for lung cancer, but lung cancer screening (LCS) rates historically have been low. Understanding the size and characteristics of the screening-eligible population can provide insights for improving screening rates. Many screening eligibility recommendations rely on smoking intensity quantified in "pack-years," which historically has been challenging to obtain at scale from the medical record. Recent introduction of structured smoking data as part of VHA LCS efforts now allows for more robust identification and estimation of the screening-eligible population using a large body of patient-reported smoking histories.

objectiveTo estimate the magnitude and characteristics of the LCS-eligible population served by the VHA nationwide based on United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and American Cancer Society (ACS) recommendations.

designWe performed a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of nationwide VHA clinical and administrative data from 2015 to 2021. PATIENTS: Age-restricted Veterans with at least 1 outpatient visit from 2015 to 2021. KEY

resultsWe identified a cohort of 1,422,573 Veterans with structured data to calculate exact pack-years smoking histories. We estimate that 23.1%(95% CI 23.0-23.2%) of Veterans nationwide aged 55-80 reported smoking histories meeting 2013 USPSTF criteria (721,122), 27.9% (28.8-30.0%) of individuals 50-80 met 2021 USPSTF criteria (1,042,301), and 28.0% (27.9-28.1%) met ACS criteria (1,046,409). We observed regional variation in eligibility, high rates of comorbid mental/cognitive illness or substance abuse, and variability in LCS eligibility among racial and ethnic groups. However, our estimates are not based on random sampling but rather on EHR data that may have selection or sampling bias, and should be interpreted within this context.

conclusionsWe estimate over one-quarter of Veterans aged 50-80 meet LCS eligibility criteria, representing an estimated LCS-eligible population of over 1 million Veterans based on current USPSTF recommendations. Understanding the characteristics of this population could assist developing interventions to improve screening rates.

Indexed as

American Cancer SocietyLung cancer screeningUnited States Preventive Services Task ForceVeterans Health Administration

Identifiers

PMID42115568
PMCPMC13477426

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.