Capturing the Rest: Inpatient Mammography for Nonadherent Hospitalized Women

Prevalence of hospitalized women at high-risk for developing lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer screening with low-dose computer tomography (CT) has been shown to reduce the lung cancer mortality in high-risk individuals by 20%. Despite the proven mortality benefit, the utilization of lung cancer screening among high-risk populations remains low.

OBJECTIVE

This study explores the prevalence of high-risk population for developing lung cancer among hospitalized women and evaluates the screening behavior toward other common cancers during a hospital stay.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study in which 248 cancer-free hospitalized women aged 50-75 years who reported current or prior smoking were enrolled during hospital admission at an academic center. A bedside survey was conducted to collect socio-demographic, cancer screening behavior, and medical comorbidities for the study patients. Unpaired t-test and Chi-square tests were used to compare characteristics and common cancer screening behavior by lung cancer risk stratification.

RESULTS

Forty-three percent of the hospitalized women were at intermediate to high-risk for developing lung cancer risk. Intermediate to high-risk women were more likely to be older, Caucasian, retired, or with a disability, and had higher comorbidity burden as compared to the low-risk group. Women at low and intermediate to high risk were equally non-adherent with breast (35% vs 31%, p = 0.59) and colorectal (32% vs 24%, p = 0.20) cancers screening guidelines. Only 38% of women from the intermediate to the high-risk group had a CT chest within the last year.

CONCLUSION

The study's findings suggest that almost half of the hospitalized women who report current or past smoking are at high-risk for developing lung cancer.

Hospitalized Women's Willingness to Pay for Inpatient Screening Colonoscopy

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Hospitalized Women's Perspective on Willingness-to-Screen for Cancers in Relation to Life Expectancy

OBJECTIVE

 Life expectancy is an important tool for physicians and patients to determine when medical services for disease prevention should be rendered. Since patients' preference is an important predictor for cancer screening compliance, incorporating life expectancy with cancer screening preferences becomes essential. The purpose of the study is to explore the mean life expectancy duration that hospitalized women expect in order to undergo cancer screening tests.

METHODS

 A cross-sectional bedside survey including the contingent valuation method was used to assess the mean life expectancy among 475 cancer-free hospitalized women aged 50-75 years, which justified their willingness to undergo cancer screening tests. The probit and logistic regression models were used for the analysis in October 2021.

RESULTS

A total of 74% of women were willing to undergo cancer screening if the mean life expectancy was 24.3 months (SE = 12.8, p = 0.058). After adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical covariates, hospitalized women were willing to undergo cancer screening if the mean life expectancy was 26.6 months (SE = 13.3, p = 0.045). Race (African American and others vs Caucasians, OR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.43-3.81) and annual household income <$20,000 (OR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.02-2.86) were associated with the willingness to undergo cancer screening among hospitalized women.

CONCLUSION

 The study's findings suggest that hospitalized women value the prospect of cancer screening tests, given the mean life expectancy of approximately 27 months. Therefore, offering screening tests to nonadherent hospitalized women with a mean life expectancy of 2¼ years, especially to those at high risk for developing cancer, with low income, or women of color, may improve adherence to cancer screening recommendations.