Skip to main content
. 2018 Jun;7(3):254–271. doi: 10.21037/tlcr.2018.05.10

Table 5. Overview of patient decision aids for lung cancer screening.

Name of aid; developers; date of release/publication Format of aid Availability Overview of content Evaluation data
LuCaS DA; Jamie L. Studts, University of Kentucky; Under testing (study start date: March 2016) Interactive, web-based aid Not yet available Includes the following sections:
Knowledge: potential benefits and risks and personal risks assessment;
Empowerment: encourages active communication of patients with clinicians;
Value clarification: informs patients how they relate to the screening personally (46)
Increased knowledge of LDCT and LCS guidelines from initial to the 2-week follow-up
Mean decisional conflict decreased from 39.3 (SD, 13.5) to 34.4 (SD, 11.1)
Percentage of participants stated to have made a decision about screening increased from 32.7% to 37.5%
LuCaS DA improves some behavioral outcomes, but not consistently better than the NCI webpages (47)
shouldiscreen.com (www.shouldiscreen.com); University of Michigan; October 2015 Interactive, web-based aid Available online Information about lung cancer and LDCT Knowledge increased after navigating the DA (P<0.001)
Costs and benefits of screening 82% (n=49) thought the DA included enough information to help making decisions on screening
Comparison with other screening tests for other cancers Mean decisional conflict scale score was 46.33 (SD, 29.69) prior to viewing the tool, and 15.08 (SD, 25.78) after (P<0.001)
Personalized estimates of baseline lung cancer risk and benefit and risks of being harmed by screening Concordance between a participant’s preference to screening and the USPSTF recommendation improved (24% to 59%, P<0.001) (48)
“Lung Cancer Screening: Is it right for me?”; Robert J. Volk, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; June 2012 Video-based patient decision aid in DVD format or web-enabled video Copies available to patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center Eligibility criteria Currently under evaluation with results expected in 2018
Overview of screening
Visual display of magnitude of harms and risks
Value clarification
Visual display of smoking cessation message
CHOICE: Should I start having yearly screening for lung cancer; Daniel S. Reuland, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center; May 2015 (Pilot Study Start Date) Interactive, web-based decision aid Not yet available Review of lung cancer and LCS The percentage of participants (n=41) having intentions to initiate LCS decreased from 66% to 54%, (95% CI, −0.09%, 33%)
Visual display of benefits and harms of LDCT (e.g., false-positives, radiation, stress/anxiety) (49) Greater knowledge was marginally associated with lower screening intent [OR, 0.68 (95% CI, 0.46, 1.00)] (50)
Value clarification
Screening choices
Smoking cessation messaging
Is Lung Cancer Screening Right for Me? A Decision Aid for People Considering Lung Cancer Screening with Low-Dose Computed Tomography (https://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/decision-aids/lung-cancer-screening/patient.html); Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; March 2016 Interactive, web-based aid Available online Eligibility criteria The effectiveness of the DA has not been evaluated (51)
Facts and possible symptoms of lung cancer
Reviews of LDCT and benefits and harms of screening
Smoking cessation information
Value clarification
Yearly Lung Cancer Screening: Is It Right for Me? (https://siteman.wustl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Lung-Cancer-Screening-20160427_rev.pdf); Mary C. Politi and Pamela Samson, Washington University Siteman Cancer Center; April 2016 Brochure Available online Evidence-based summary of LCS vs. no screening The effectiveness of the DA has not been evaluated (52)
Screening eligibility
Pros and cons of screening choice
Symptoms of lung cancer
Smoking cessation information
Estimates of baseline lung cancer risk
HealthDecision Chest CT for Lung Cancer- Lung Cancer Screening Decision Support Tool (https://www.healthdecision.org/tool.html#/tool/lungca); HealthDecision; December 2017 (version 4.0.5) Interactive, web-based aid Available online Personalized lung cancer risk estimates for patients that:
Collects patients’ risk factors data;
Shows lung cancer risks and eligibility;
Compares options of LDCT scans and smoking cessation;
Instructs patients and clinicians to make decisions as appropriate
The effectiveness of the DA has not been evaluated
Decision Aid for Lung Cancer Screening with Computerized Tomography (CT) (https://www.thoracic.org/patients/patient-resources/resources/decision-aid-lcs.pdf); American Thoracic Society Thoracic Oncology Assembly; June 2015 Brochure Available online Lung cancer and screening information The effectiveness of the DA has not been evaluated
Copies available for order Smoking cessation information
Screening choices
Benefits and harms of LCS
Value clarification
Deliberation to healthcare provider
Printable Shared Decision-Making Aids (https://www.emmc.org/Lung-Cancer-Screening/Printable-Shared-Decision-Making-Aids.aspx); Eastern Maine Medical Center; 2015 Web-based aid Available online Estimates for individual risk of lung cancer for current or former smokers The effectiveness of the DA has not been evaluated
Benefits and potential risks of LCS
Lung Cancer Screening Decision Tool (http://nomograms.mskcc.org/Lung/Screening.aspx); Peter Bach, Memorial Sloan Kettering Medical Center; June 2013 Web-based prediction tool Available online Online questionnaire that asks about lung cancer risk factors (e.g., age and smoking history, occupational exposure to asbestos) Estimates are calculated from 2 models: one predicts the chance that a person will die of lung cancer in a year, and the other yields the chance that a person will die of another cause (53)
Results help clinicians and patients determine the chance that screening will be beneficial The former model has been validated
The latter model was found to be undercalibrated for the frequency of deaths from other causes. However, recalibration did not alter the estimates to a meaningful degree

DA, decision aid; LDCT, low-dose computed tomography; LCS, lung cancer screening.