Jaeho Lee, Juntae Lim, Yeol Kim, Hyae Young Kim, Jin Mo Goo, Choon-Taek Lee, Seung Hun Jang, Won-Chul Lee, Chan Wha Lee, Jin Young An, Ki Dong Ko, Min Ki Lee, Kui Son Choi, Boyoung Park, Duk Hyoung Lee
Cancer Res Treat. 2019;51(4):1285-1294. Published online February 19, 2019
Purpose
To reduce lung cancer mortality, lung cancer screening was recommended using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) to high-risk population. A protocol for multicenter lung cancer screening pilot project was developed to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of lung cancer screening to implement National Cancer Screening Program in Korea.
Materials and Methods
Multidisciplinary expert committee was comprised to develop a standardized protocol for Korean Lung Cancer Screening Project (K-LUCAS). K-LUCAS is a population-based single arm trial that targets high-risk population aged 55-74 years with at least 30 pack-year smoking history. LDCT results are reported by Lung-RADS suggested by American Radiology Society. Network-based system using computer-aided detection program is prepared to assist reducing diagnostic errors. Smoking cessation counselling is provided to all currently smoking participants. A small pilot test was conducted to check the feasibility and compliance of the protocols for K-LUCAS.
Results
In pilot test, 256 were participated. The average age of participants was 63.2 years and only three participants (1.2%) were female. The participants had a smoking history of 40.5 pack-year on average and 53.9% were current smokers. Among them, 86.3% had willing to participate in lung cancer screening again. The average willingness to quit smoking among current smokers was 12.7% higher than before screening. In Lung-RADS reports, 10 (3.9%) were grade 3 and nine (3.5%) were grade 4. One participant was diagnosed as lung cancer.
Conclusion
The protocol developed by this study is assessed to be feasible to perform K-LUCAS in multicenter nationwide scale.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Gender Disparities and Lung Cancer Screening Outcomes Among Individuals Who Have Never Smoked Yeon Wook Kim, Dong-Hyun Joo, So Yeon Kim, Young Sik Park, Sowon Jang, Jong Hyuk Lee, Gerard A. Silvestri, Marjolein A. Heuvelmans, Jihang Kim, Hyeontaek Hwang, Choon-Taek Lee JAMA Network Open.2025; 8(1): e2454057. CrossRef
Factors influencing the intention for lung cancer screening in high-risk populations for lung cancer Mi-Kyoung Cho, Yoon Hee Cho Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing.2024; 11(1): 100332. CrossRef
Strategies to Improve Smoking Cessation for Participants in Lung Cancer Screening Program: Analysis of Factors Associated with Smoking Cessation in Korean Lung Cancer Screening Project (K-LUCAS) Yeol Kim, Jaeho Lee, Eunju Lee, Juntae Lim, Yonghyun Kim, Choon-Taek Lee, Seung Hun Jang, Yu-Jin Paek, Won-Chul Lee, Chan Wha Lee, Hyae Young Kim, Jin Mo Goo, Kui Son Choi, Boyoung Park, Duk Hyoung Lee, Hong Gwan Seo Cancer Research and Treatment.2024; 56(1): 92. CrossRef
Real‐world treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in patients with stage III NSCLC in Korea: The KINDLE study Jiyun Lee, Hee Kyung Ahn, Sang‐We Kim, Ji‐Youn Han, Sung Sook Lee, Hyung Soon Park, Hyun Woo Lee, Joo‐Hang Kim, Eunhan Cho, Reto Huggenberger, Byoung Chul Cho Cancer Medicine.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Survival of lung cancer patients according to screening eligibility using Korean Lung Cancer Registry 2014–2016 Sangwon Lee, Eun Hye Park, Bo Yun Jang, Ye Ji Kang, Kyu-Won Jung, Hyo Soung Cha, Kui Son Choi Scientific Reports.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Screening for Lung Cancer, Overdiagnosis, and Healthcare Utilization: A Nationwide Population-Based Study So Yeon Kim, Gerard A. Silvestri, Yeon Wook Kim, Roger Y. Kim, Sang-Won Um, Yunjoo Im, Jung Hye Hwang, Seung Ho Choi, Jung Seop Eom, Kang Mo Gu, Yong-Soo Kwon, Shin Yup Lee, Hyun Woo Lee, Dong Won Park, Yeonjeong Heo, Seung Hun Jang, Kwang Yong Choi, Yeol Journal of Thoracic Oncology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Lung Cancer Screening: Implementation Challenges and Health Equity Considerations For the Western Pacific Region Claire Nightingale, Claire Bavor, Emily Stone, Nicole M. Rankin JCO Global Oncology.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Lung Imaging Reporting and Data System (Lung-RADS) in Radiology: Strengths, Weaknesses and Improvement Gong Yong Jin Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology.2023; 84(1): 34. CrossRef
Trends in Survival Rates of Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer With Use of Molecular Testing and Targeted Therapy in Korea, 2010-2020 Sang Ah Chi, Hyeyeon Yu, Yoon-La Choi, Sehhoon Park, Jong-Mu Sun, Se-Hoon Lee, Jin Seok Ahn, Myung-Ju Ahn, Dae-Ho Choi, Kyunga Kim, Hyun Ae Jung, Keunchil Park JAMA Network Open.2023; 6(3): e232002. CrossRef
Interstitial Lung Abnormalities at CT in the Korean National Lung Cancer Screening Program: Prevalence and Deep Learning–based Texture Analysis Kum Ju Chae, Soyeoun Lim, Joon Beom Seo, Hye Jeon Hwang, Hyemi Choi, David Lynch, Gong Yong Jin Radiology.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Developing a pan-European technical standard for a comprehensive high-quality lung cancer computed tomography screening programme: an ERS technical standard David R. Baldwin, Emma L. O'Dowd, Ilona Tietzova, Anna Kerpel-Fronius, Marjolein A. Heuvelmans, Annemiek Snoeckx, Haseem Ashraf, Hans-Ulrich Kauczor, Blin Nagavci, Matthijs Oudkerk, Paul Martin Putora, Witold Ryzman, Giulia Veronesi, Andrea Borondy-Kitts, European Respiratory Journal.2023; 61(6): 2300128. CrossRef
Association of immunotoxicological indices with lung cancer biomarkers in poultry, grape, and rose farming workers Anju Maharjan, Ravi Gautam, Manju Acharya, JiHun Jo, DaEun Lee, Pramod Bahadur K C, Young-A Lee, Jung-Taek Kwon, HyoCher Kim, KyungRan Kim, ChangYul Kim, HyoungAh Kim, Yong Heo Toxicological Research.2023; 39(4): 739. CrossRef
Performance of Lung-RADS in different target populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis Yifei Mao, Jiali Cai, Marjolein A. Heuvelmans, Rozemarijn Vliegenthart, Harry J. M. Groen, Matthijs Oudkerk, Marleen Vonder, Monique D. Dorrius, Geertruida H. de Bock European Radiology.2023; 34(3): 1877. CrossRef
Perspectives and limitations of Lung-RADS in different target populations: the power of systematic review and meta-analysis Simone Vicini European Radiology.2023; 34(3): 1875. CrossRef
The effect of the introduction of the national lung cancer screening program on short-term mortality in Korea Woorim Kim, Sang Chul Lee, Woo-Ri Lee, Sungyoun Chun Lung Cancer.2023; 186: 107412. CrossRef
Study on the Application Value of Lung-RADS in the Differential Diagnosis of Benign and Malignant Lung Nodules ·马木提 依力夏提 Advances in Clinical Medicine.2023; 13(12): 20190. CrossRef
Lung Cancer Screening with Low-Dose Chest Computed Tomography Yeon Wook Kim The Korean Journal of Medicine.2022; 97(1): 42. CrossRef
Cost Utility Analysis of a Pilot Study for the Korean Lung Cancer Screening Project Juyoung Kim, Bogeum Cho, Seon-Ha Kim, Chang-Min Choi, Yeol Kim, Min-Woo Jo Cancer Research and Treatment.2022; 54(3): 728. CrossRef
Potential Overdiagnosis with CT Lung Cancer Screening in Taiwanese Female: Status in South Korea Jin Mo Goo, Kyu-Won Jung, Hyae Young Kim, Yeol Kim Korean Journal of Radiology.2022; 23(6): 571. CrossRef
Lung Cancer Patients’ Characteristics and Comorbidities Using the Korean National Hospital Discharge In-depth Injury Survey Data Kyunghee Lee, Sunghong Kang, Jieun Hwang Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health.2022; 12(3): 258. CrossRef
Reduced Cancer Screening Due to Lockdowns of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Reviewing Impacts and Ways to Counteract the Impacts Tuan Luu Frontiers in Oncology.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Determination of the optimum definition of growth evaluation for indeterminate pulmonary nodules detected in lung cancer screening Jong Hyuk Lee, Eui Jin Hwang, Woo Hyeon Lim, Jin Mo Goo, Paul Cronin PLOS ONE.2022; 17(9): e0274583. CrossRef
Implementation of the cloud-based computerized interpretation system in a nationwide lung cancer screening with low-dose CT: comparison with the conventional reading system Eui Jin Hwang, Jin Mo Goo, Hyae Young Kim, Jaeyoun Yi, Soon Ho Yoon, Yeol Kim European Radiology.2021; 31(1): 475. CrossRef
Lung cancer LDCT screening and mortality reduction — evidence, pitfalls and future perspectives Matthijs Oudkerk, ShiYuan Liu, Marjolein A. Heuvelmans, Joan E. Walter, John K. Field Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.2021; 18(3): 135. CrossRef
Variability in interpretation of low-dose chest CT using computerized assessment in a nationwide lung cancer screening program: comparison of prospective reading at individual institutions and retrospective central reading Eui Jin Hwang, Jin Mo Goo, Hyae Young Kim, Soon Ho Yoon, Gong Yong Jin, Jaeyoun Yi, Yeol Kim European Radiology.2021; 31(5): 2845. CrossRef
External validation and comparison of the Brock model and Lung-RADS for the baseline lung cancer CT screening using data from the Korean Lung Cancer Screening Project Hyungjin Kim, Hyae Young Kim, Jin Mo Goo, Yeol Kim European Radiology.2021; 31(6): 4004. CrossRef
Lung Screening Benefits and Challenges: A Review of The Data and Outline for Implementation Jacob Sands, Martin C. Tammemägi, Sebastien Couraud, David R. Baldwin, Andrea Borondy-Kitts, David Yankelevitz, Jennifer Lewis, Fred Grannis, Hans-Ulrich Kauczor, Oyunbileg von Stackelberg, Lecia Sequist, Ugo Pastorino, Brady McKee Journal of Thoracic Oncology.2021; 16(1): 37. CrossRef
Optimum diameter threshold for lung nodules at baseline lung cancer screening with low-dose chest CT: exploration of results from the Korean Lung Cancer Screening Project Eui Jin Hwang, Jin Mo Goo, Hyae Young Kim, Jaeyoun Yi, Yeol Kim European Radiology.2021; 31(9): 7202. CrossRef
Effectiveness of radiologist training in improving reader agreement for Lung-RADS 4X categorization Hyungjin Kim, Jin Mo Goo, Tae Jung Kim, Hyae Young Kim, Guanmin Gu, Bomi Gil, Wooil Kim, Seon Young Park, Junghoan Park, Juil Park, Harkhoon Park, Wonkyu Song, Kyung Eun Shin, Jiseon Oh, Sung Hyun Yoon, Sanghyup Lee, Youkyung Lee, Woo Hyeon Lim, Won Gi Je European Radiology.2021; 31(11): 8147. CrossRef
Contemporary issues in the implementation of lung cancer screening Stephen Lam, Martin Tammemagi European Respiratory Review.2021; 30(161): 200288. CrossRef
Lung cancer mortality reduction by LDCT screening: UKLS randomised trial results and international meta-analysis John K. Field, Daniel Vulkan, Michael P.A. Davies, David R. Baldwin, Kate E. Brain, Anand Devaraj, Tim Eisen, John Gosney, Beverley A. Green, John A. Holemans, Terry Kavanagh, Keith M. Kerr, Martin Ledson, Kate J. Lifford, Fiona E. McRonald, Arjun Nair, R The Lancet Regional Health - Europe.2021; 10: 100179. CrossRef
Assisted versus Manual Interpretation of Low-Dose CT Scans for Lung Cancer Screening: Impact on Lung-RADS Agreement Colin Jacobs, Anton Schreuder, Sarah J. van Riel, Ernst Th. Scholten, Rianne Wittenberg, Mathilde M. Winkler Wille, Bartjan de Hoop, Ralf Sprengers, Onno M. Mets, Bram Geurts, Mathias Prokop, Cornelia Schaefer-Prokop, Bram van Ginneken Radiology: Imaging Cancer.2021; 3(5): e200160. CrossRef
Coronary artery calcium severity grading on non-ECG-gated low-dose chest computed tomography: a multiple-observer study in a nationwide lung cancer screening registry Young Joo Suh, Ji Won Lee, So Youn Shin, Jin Mo Goo, Yeol Kim, Hwan Seok Yong European Radiology.2020; 30(7): 3684. CrossRef
Korean National Lung Cancer Screening Seung Hun Jang The Korean Journal of Medicine.2020; 95(2): 95. CrossRef
Lung Cancer CT Screening and Lung-RADS in a Tuberculosis-endemic Country: The Korean Lung Cancer Screening Project (K-LUCAS) Hyungjin Kim, Hyae Young Kim, Jin Mo Goo, Yeol Kim Radiology.2020; 296(1): 181. CrossRef
Interstitial lung abnormalities detected incidentally on CT: a Position Paper from the Fleischner Society Hiroto Hatabu, Gary M Hunninghake, Luca Richeldi, Kevin K Brown, Athol U Wells, Martine Remy-Jardin, Johny Verschakelen, Andrew G Nicholson, Mary B Beasley, David C Christiani, Raúl San José Estépar, Joon Beom Seo, Takeshi Johkoh, Nicola Sverzellati, Chri The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.2020; 8(7): 726. CrossRef
Milestones towards lung cancer screening implementation M. Silva, G. Milanese, H.-U. Kauczor, M.-P. Revel, N. Sverzellati Clinical Radiology.2020; 75(12): 881. CrossRef
Evidence of National Lung Cancer Screening Program in Korea Yeol Kim Korean Journal of Health Promotion.2019; 19(4): 161. CrossRef
Purpose
Because of growing concerns about lung cancer in female never smokers, chest low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening is often performed although it has never shown clinical benefits. We examinewhether or not female never smokers really need annual LDCT screening when the initial LDCT showed negative findings.
Materials and Methods
This retrospective cohort study included 4,365 female never smokers aged 40 to 79 years who performed initial LDCT from Aug 2002 to Dec 2007. Lung cancer diagnosis was identified from the Korea Central Cancer Registry Database registered until December 31, 2013. We calculated the incidence, cumulative probability, and standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of lung cancer by Lung Imaging Reporting and Data System (Lung-RADS) categories showed on initial LDCT.
Results
After median follow-up of 9.69 years, 22 (0.5%) had lung cancer. Lung cancer incidence for Lung-RADS category 4 was 1,848.4 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1,132.4 to 3,017.2) per 100,000 person-years and 16.4 (95% CI, 7.4 to 36.4) for categories 1, 2, and 3 combined. The cumulative probability of lung cancer for category 4 was 10.6% at 5 years and 14.8% at 10 years while they were 0.07% and 0.17% when categories 1, 2, and 3 were combined. The SIR for subjects with category 4 was 43.80 (95% CI, 25.03 to 71.14), which was much higher than 0.47 (95% CI, 0.17 to 1.02) for categories 1, 2, and 3 combined.
Conclusion
Considering the low risk of lung cancer development in female never smokers, it seems unnecessary to repeat annual LDCT screening for at least 5 years or even longer unless the initial LDCT showed Lung-RADS category 4 findings.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Radiological Changes in Chest Computed Tomography Findings of School Cafeteria Workers: A Comparative Study With Age-matched Controls Jung Hee Hong, Jin Young Kim, Kiook Baek Safety and Health at Work.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Lung cancer screening for never smokers: current evidence and future directions Kay Choong See Singapore Medical Journal.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Cooking oil fume exposure and Lung-RADS distribution among school cafeteria workers of South Korea Minjun Kim, Yangho Kim, A Ram Kim, Woon Jung Kwon, Soyeoun Lim, Woojin Kim, Cheolin Yoo Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Distribution of Solid Lung Nodules Presence and Size by Age and Sex in a Northern European Nonsmoking Population Jiali Cai, Marleen Vonder, Gert Jan Pelgrim, Mieneke Rook, Gerdien Kramer, Harry J.M. Groen, Geertruida H. de Bock, Rozemarijn Vliegenthart Radiology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Low Dose Computed Tomography for Lung Cancer Screening in Tuberculosis Endemic Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Vikram Damaraju, Juhu Kiran Krushna Karri, Gayathri Gandrakota, Yamini Marimuthu, Adimulam Ganga Ravindra, Rajeev Aravindakshan, Navneet Singh Journal of Thoracic Oncology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Toward More Effective Lung Cancer Risk Stratification to Empower Screening Programs for the Asian Nonsmoking Population Fu-Zong Wu, Yeun-Chung Chang Journal of the American College of Radiology.2023; 20(2): 156. CrossRef
ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Lung Cancer Screening: 2022 Update Kim L. Sandler, Travis S. Henry, Arya Amini, Saeed Elojeimy, Aine Marie Kelly, Christopher T. Kuzniewski, Elizabeth Lee, Maria D. Martin, Michael F. Morris, Neeraja B. Peterson, Constantine A. Raptis, Gerard A. Silvestri, Arlene Sirajuddin, Betty C. Tong, Journal of the American College of Radiology.2023; 20(5): S94. CrossRef
Performance of Lung-RADS in different target populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis Yifei Mao, Jiali Cai, Marjolein A. Heuvelmans, Rozemarijn Vliegenthart, Harry J. M. Groen, Matthijs Oudkerk, Marleen Vonder, Monique D. Dorrius, Geertruida H. de Bock European Radiology.2023; 34(3): 1877. CrossRef
Lung cancer screening in never-smokers: facts and remaining issues Maurizio V. Infante, Giuseppe Cardillo European Respiratory Journal.2020; 56(5): 2002949. CrossRef
Low-dose chest computed tomographic screening and invasive diagnosis of pulmonary nodules for lung cancer in never-smokers Yeon Wook Kim, Hye-Rin Kang, Byoung Soo Kwon, Sung Yoon Lim, Yeon Joo Lee, Jong Sun Park, Young-Jae Cho, Ho Il Yoon, Kyung Won Lee, Jae Ho Lee, Choon-Taek Lee European Respiratory Journal.2020; 56(5): 2000177. CrossRef
Predicting Lung Cancer Occurrence in Never-Smoking Females in Asia: TNSF-SQ, a Prediction Model Li-Hsin Chien, Chung-Hsing Chen, Tzu-Yu Chen, Gee-Chen Chang, Ying-Huang Tsai, Chin-Fu Hsiao, Kuan-Yu Chen, Wu-Chou Su, Wen-Chang Wang, Ming-Shyan Huang, Yuh-Min Chen, Chih-Yi Chen, Sheng-Kai Liang, Chung-Yu Chen, Chih-Liang Wang, Mei-Hsuan Lee, Ren-Hua C Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.2020; 29(2): 452. CrossRef
Role of Low-Dose Computerized Tomography in Lung Cancer Screening among Never-Smokers Hye-Rin Kang, Jun Yeun Cho, Sang Hoon Lee, Yeon Joo Lee, Jong Sun Park, Young-Jae Cho, Ho Il Yoon, Kyung Won Lee, Jae Ho Lee, Choon-Taek Lee Journal of Thoracic Oncology.2019; 14(3): 436. CrossRef
Prevention and Early Detection for NSCLC: Advances in Thoracic Oncology 2018 Haval Balata, Kwun M. Fong, Lizza E. Hendriks, Stephen Lam, Jamie S. Ostroff, Nir Peled, Ning Wu, Charu Aggarwal Journal of Thoracic Oncology.2019; 14(9): 1513. CrossRef