Tuesday, December 3 | 9:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m. | T2-SPCH-5 | Learning Center
CT lung cancer screening coronary artery calcification results could decrease morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular events, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers have found.
In this Tuesday morning poster session, presenter Vivek Batra, MD, will share results from a study he conducted with colleagues that investigated how new and significant cardiovascular findings on lung cancer screening CT could help clinicians initiate or adjust cardiovascular medications in their patients.
The study included information from two databases, TriNetX and Nuance Empower, regarding 15,060 patients who underwent a lung cancer screening exam between March 2020 and June 2023. Of these patients, 3,170 had pre-existing heart disease and 550 had new coronary artery calcification identified within six months of the lung cancer screening exam. Of the patients with new coronary artery calcification, 320 were using medicine to treat the condition and 70 were started on new medication within six months.
Of the patients who were diagnosed with new and significant moderate or severe coronary artery disease, 58% were put on a cardiac medication within six months after the diagnosis.
The study findings underscore radiologists' importance in identifying patients at risk of cardiovascular disease.
"Cardiovascular disease has significant morbidity and mortality and is undertreated," Batra and colleagues noted. "Using CT lung screening report CAC documentation, radiologists play a role in management of patients who may not have been treated otherwise."
Attend this presentation to find out more about how CT lung cancer screening can offer opportunistic information about cardiovascular disease.