Lung Cancer Screening Recommendations in the Elderly: International Society for Geriatric Oncology Consensus Statement
13 affiliations
- 1Division of Thoracic Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- 2Division of Aging, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- 3Department of Geriatric Medicine, Rabin Medical Center and Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- 4Department of Supportive Care Medicine, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California
- 5Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center and University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- 6Department of Palliative Care, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
- 7Department of Thoracic Surgery, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- 8Department of Thoracic Surgery, Ospedale Borgo Trento, Verona, Italy
- 9Department of Oncology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- 10Department of Oncology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- 11Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital Brussels, Jette, Belgium
- 12Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
- 13Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
Abstract
Introduction: Current or former smokers with a 20–pack-year history between the ages of 50 and 80 years are eligible for lung cancer screening (LCS) under current guidelines. Despite age restrictions for screening, older patients remain at risk for lung cancer and, without screening, are diagnosed with advanced-stage disease that limits curative treatment options.
Treatment for early-stage lung cancer has improved with minimally invasive surgical techniques and reduced toxicity associated with stereotactic body radiation therapy. Robust older patients can tolerate surgical resection or stereotactic body radiation therapy with rates of recovery similar to those of their younger peers. Given the advancements in treatment and the improved tools available to identify frailty, chronological age should not be a gatekeeper for LCS.
Methods: A taskforce within the International Society of Geriatric Oncology was created to address challenges of LCS within older patients. Taskforce members represented five different specialties with clinical expertise in lung cancer and the care of older adults.
Results: For patients above 80 years old who qualify for LCS, we recommend performing a geriatric assessment (GA) to assess functional status and age-related vulnerabilities. Robust patients, as determined by GA, should be eligible for screening and discuss their health care priorities in shared decision-making conversations. GA should be performed every 2 years while patients are enrolled in LCS to determine the appropriateness of continued screening efforts.
Conclusions: Age should not be an exclusion criterion for LCS. Patients above 80 years old should be thoughtfully co-managed by geriatric and lung cancer specialists to determine which older patients would benefit from screening efforts.
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BibTeX
@article{steimer2026lung,
title = {{Lung Cancer Screening Recommendations in the Elderly: International Society for Geriatric Oncology Consensus Statement}},
author = {Desiree Steimer and Laura Frain and Clark DuMontier and Lisa Cooper and Fatima Wilder and William Dale and Harry J. de Koning and Ulrich Wedding and Guilia Veronesi and Maurizio Infante and Stefan Starup Jeppesen and Yakir Rottenberg and Lore Decoster and Grant Williams and Anupama Singh and Miles McAllister and Ricardo Audisio and Michael T. Jaklitsch},
journal = {JTO Clinical and Research Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1016/j.jtocrr.2026.101053},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtocrr.2026.101053},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Lung Cancer Screening Recommendations in the Elderly: International Society for Geriatric Oncology Consensus Statement
AU - Desiree Steimer
AU - Laura Frain
AU - Clark DuMontier
AU - Lisa Cooper
AU - Fatima Wilder
AU - William Dale
AU - Harry J. de Koning
AU - Ulrich Wedding
AU - Guilia Veronesi
AU - Maurizio Infante
AU - Stefan Starup Jeppesen
AU - Yakir Rottenberg
AU - Lore Decoster
AU - Grant Williams
AU - Anupama Singh
AU - Miles McAllister
AU - Ricardo Audisio
AU - Michael T. Jaklitsch
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/24
JO - JTO Clinical and Research Reports
DO - 10.1016/j.jtocrr.2026.101053
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtocrr.2026.101053
AB - Introduction: Current or former smokers with a 20–pack-year history between the ages of 50 and 80 years are eligible for lung cancer screening (LCS) under current guidelines. Despite age restrictions for screening, older patients remain at risk for lung cancer and, without screening, are diagnosed with advanced-stage disease that limits curative treatment options. Treatment for early-stage lung cancer has improved with minimally invasive surgical techniques and reduced toxicity associated with stereotactic body radiation therapy. Robust older patients can tolerate surgical resection or stereotactic body radiation therapy with rates of recovery similar to those of their younger peers. Given the advancements in treatment and the improved tools available to identify frailty, chronological age should not be a gatekeeper for LCS. Methods: A taskforce within the International Society of Geriatric Oncology was created to address challenges of LCS within older patients. Taskforce members represented five different specialties with clinical expertise in lung cancer and the care of older adults. Results: For patients above 80 years old who qualify for LCS, we recommend performing a geriatric assessment (GA) to assess functional status and age-related vulnerabilities. Robust patients, as determined by GA, should be eligible for screening and discuss their health care priorities in shared decision-making conversations. GA should be performed every 2 years while patients are enrolled in LCS to determine the appropriateness of continued screening efforts. Conclusions: Age should not be an exclusion criterion for LCS. Patients above 80 years old should be thoughtfully co-managed by geriatric and lung cancer specialists to determine which older patients would benefit from screening efforts.
SN - 2666-3643
ER -