Frequency of Statin Prescription Among Individuals with Coronary Artery Calcifications Detected Through Lung Cancer Screening.

Publication/Presentation Date

9-1-2022

Abstract

Individuals eligible for lung cancer screening (LCS) are at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) due to smoking history. Coronary artery calcifications (CAC), a common incidental finding on low-dose CT (LDCT) for LCS, is a predictor of cardiovascular events. Despite findings of high ASCVD risk and CAC, a substantial proportion of LCS patients are not prescribed primary preventive statin therapy for ASCVD. We assessed the frequency of statin prescription in LCS patients with moderate levels of CAC. Among 259 individuals with moderate CAC, 95% had ASCVD risk ≥ 7.5%. Despite this, 27% of patients were statin-free prior to LDCT and 21.2% remained statin-free after LDCT showing moderate CAC. Illustratively, while a substantial proportion of LCS patients are statin-eligible, many lack a statin prescription, even after findings of CAC burden. CAC reporting should be standardized, and interdisciplinary communication should be optimized to ensure that LCS patients are placed on appropriate preventive therapy.

Volume

37

Issue

5

First Page

388

Last Page

395

ISSN

1555-824X

Disciplines

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

PubMedID

35302536

Department(s)

Administration and Leadership

Document Type

Article

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