Low-Dose Lung Cancer Screenings in Rural vs. Urban Patient Populations

This was a retrospective chart review comparing a rural clinic vs. an urban clinic to compare their ordered and completion rates of LDCT lung cancer screening. Rural patients were significantly less likely than urban patients to have LDCT screening ordered and completed despite similar eligibility, demographics, and smoking exposure. These findings suggest that barriers beyond clinical eligibility may contribute to lower screening uptake in rural areas such as access to imaging facilities, transportation challenges, and system-level differences in care delivery, as well as clinician perceptions of these barriers.