Distribution of non-metastatic and metastatic disease in incidentally detected and screening-detected lung cancers.

e20088 Background: Early detection of lung cancer is known to enhance outcomes by enabling treatment at earlier stages. This study explores whether the stage at diagnosis varies between lung cancers detected incidentally versus those identified through a targeted screening program. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 98 patients with confirmed lung cancer. Each case was classified by detection method: "Screening" (n=12) or "Incidental" (n=86). Disease was categorized as metastatic (Stage IV) vs. nonmetastatic (Stages I-III). This study created a 2×2 contingency table and performed a Chi-square test (df=1). Results: Of the 12 screening-detected patients, 9 (75%) were nonmetastatic and 3 (25%) metastatic. Among 86 incidentally detected cases, 27 (31.4%) were nonmetastatic and 59 (68.6%) metastatic. The difference in stage distribution was statistically significant (Chi-square=6.84, p=0.0089). Conclusions: In this cohort, screening-detected lung cancers were more frequently diagnosed at nonmetastatic stages compared with incidentally detected cancers. These findings underscore the potential benefit of formal lung cancer screening programs in reducing the presentation of advanced disease and improving patient outcomes. Distribution of non-metastatic (stage I-III) and metastatic (stage IV) lung cancer stages by detection method (screening-detected versus incidentally detected). Disease Stage Screening-Detected Identified Incidentally Detected Total Non-Metastatic (Stage I-III) 9 27 36 Metastatic (Stage IV) 3 59 62 Total 12 86 98