Annual lung cancer screening using low dose computed tomography (LDCT) effectively reduces mortality from lung cancer and is recommended for persons who are at high risk of developing the disease. The utilization of the lung cancer screening, however, has remained low. Due to significantly higher cigarette smoking rates, patients with behavioral health disorders (those living with mental illness and/or substance use disorders) are more likely to be diagnosed with and die from lung cancer; at the same time, they are less likely to undergo cancer screenings. There is an urgent need for targeted efforts to improve access to lung cancer screening among this population disproportionately affected by the disease. In this commentary, we propose integrating lung cancer screening facilitation into services provided by behavioral health professionals who are uniquely positioned to reach these patients and deliver interventions to increase uptake of cancer screenings. We suggest several measures that could improve lung health outcomes of patients with behavioral health disorders: (1) training behavioral health professionals in lung cancer screening eligibility assessment; (2) providing patients with education materials; (3) integrating shared decision making counseling for lung cancer screening into behavioral healthcare settings; (4) providing practical support needed to access screening; (5) establishing effective partnerships with community organizations. Regardless of the level of engagement, possibly ranging from brief training to the implementation of comprehensive programs, any involvement will benefit patients. This integrated approach will contribute to reducing lung cancer mortality among patients with behavioral health disorders who have long experienced systemic health inequities. Lung Cancer Screening Recommendations and Current Uptake.

中文翻译：

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吸烟率升高的行为健康患者错过肺癌筛查的机会：肺癌筛查和行为健康。


每年使用低剂量计算机断层扫描 （LDCT） 进行肺癌筛查可有效降低肺癌死亡率，建议患肺癌风险高的人进行。然而，肺癌筛查的利用率仍然很低。由于吸烟率明显较高，患有行为健康障碍的患者（患有精神疾病和/或物质使用障碍的患者）更有可能被诊断出患有肺癌并死于肺癌;同时，他们不太可能接受癌症筛查。迫切需要采取有针对性的努力，以改善受疾病不成比例影响的人群获得肺癌筛查的机会。在本评论中，我们建议将肺癌筛查促进整合到行为健康专业人员提供的服务中，这些专业人员具有独特的优势，可以接触到这些患者并提供干预措施以提高癌症筛查的接受率。我们建议采取几种可以改善行为健康障碍患者肺部健康结果的措施：（1） 培训行为健康专业人员进行肺癌筛查资格评估;（2） 为患者提供教育材料;（3） 将肺癌筛查的共同决策咨询整合到行为医疗保健环境中;（4） 提供获得筛查所需的实际支持;（5） 与社区组织建立有效的合作伙伴关系。无论参与程度如何，可能从简短的培训到实施全面的计划，任何参与都会使患者受益。 这种综合方法将有助于降低长期经历系统性健康不平等的行为健康障碍患者的肺癌死亡率。肺癌筛查建议和当前采用。