Providing patients with a specific appointment time for lung cancer screening results in higher attendance than sending them an open invitation, a recent study has revealed.
Although UK lung cancer screening uptake stands at 20.4-52.6%, it still lags behind breast cancer (64.6%) and bowel cancer (68.9%) screening programmes.
This observational study evaluated how timed appointments and opt-out reminders influenced participation in the North-Central London Targeted Lung Health Check programme, compared with opt-in open invitations.
Adults aged 55-74 with a recorded smoking history were recruited in two waves for lung cancer screening: open invitations between December 2022 and July 2023, followed by timed appointments between July 2023 and February 2024.
Individuals who did not respond received up to three reminders, and those deemed ineligible or who had a recent computed tomography scan were excluded from further screening.
The primary analysis compared response rates by invitation method and assessed the benefit of reminders, while secondary analyses focused on under-represented groups in screening.
Appointment times increased lung cancer screening attendance
Of 66,964 individuals included in the analysis, significantly more participants who received a timed appointment responded immediately (53%) compared with those who were sent an open invitation (29.8%, p<0.0001).
Among individuals who initially did not respond, reminders prompted a greater response from those who had been sent open invitations (19.2%) than from those who received timed appointments (9.3%).
Furthermore, response rates after a reminder were higher in certain subgroups, including those of black ethnicity, those from deprived areas and current smokers.
Timed appointments and reminders for lung cancer screening are strongly advocated to increase participation in national lung cancer screening programmes, the study authors said.
These results align with previous research in trial settings, reinforcing the need for accurate primary care records to better identify and engage high-risk individuals.
The study authors recommended future initiatives to refine invitation strategies and integrate novel data-collection methods, such as mobile apps or messaging systems.
Reference
Bhamani A, Naidu SB, Patrick T, et al. Improving uptake of lung cancer screening: an observational study on the impact of timed appointments and reminders. Thorax. 2025 Mar 3:thorax-2024-222433.
