Enrichment of Lung Cancer Screening Through Unexplained Weight Loss (UWL) to Stage Shift and Improve Survival
The researchers are doing this study to see if people with unexplained weight loss who have lung cancer screening are more likely to have or develop lung cancer than people without unexplained weight loss. The lung cancer screening will involve use of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), a CT scan that gives off very low doses of radiation and can make detailed pictures of the lungs to help find tumors. The study researchers will also analyze participants' blood samples to determine if blood testing can be used to help to diagnose lung cancer.
• Eligible for American Cancer Society lung cancer screening, as follows:
‣ Age 50-80 years old
⁃ At least 20-pack year history of smoking
• Weight loss of 3-10%, defined as UWL, within any timeframe over the past in the 18 months prior to enrollment, that cannot be attributed to an underlying medical condition at the discretion of the enrolling investigator
‣ Note that patients who have 3-10% weight may still be enrolled if the enrolling investigator does not conclude that the weight loss can be attributed to the patient's intentional efforts.
⁃ Documented weight loss can be self-reported or extracted from weights obtained during physician visits. However, if self-reported weight loss is contradicted by weight loss documented in the medical record (e.g. a patients states that (s)he lost 10 lbs in the past 6 months, but a weight documented in the medical record does not support that history), the measured and quantified weight change will be used to ascertain eligibility
• Life expectancy greater than 1 year, per assessment of the treating clinician.