Study highlights potential value of low-dose CT screening for lung cancer among Asian women

Results from the Female Asian Nonsmoker Screening Study (FANSS) highlight the potential value of low-dose CT (LDCT) screening for lung cancer among a growing but underserved population: Asian women with no history of smoking.

The study results were reported today at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC).

FANSS is the first known lung cancer screening program in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to a non-smoking population. The study screened 1000 eligible Asian women ages 40–74 using LDCT and assessed lung cancer detection rates based on Lung-RADS classifications.

Asian American women who have never smoked have been found to be twice as likely to develop lung cancer as white women in the same smoking category, according to previously reported research.

Our findings show a lung cancer detection rate of 1.3%, which is higher than that reported in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) for high-risk smokers. These results support the need to reconsider screening guidelines to include never-smoking high-risk groups."

Dr. Elaine Shum, from NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center

Dr. Shum and her team reported several significant results:

• Lung-RADS distribution: 0 (2.2%), 1 (38.8%), 2 (52.1%), 3 (4.1%), and 4 (2.8%).
• Thirteen participants (1.3%) were diagnosed with invasive lung adenocarcinoma.
• Cancer stages at diagnosis: 9 Stage IA, 2 Stage IIB, and 2 Stage IIIB/C.
• All patients underwent surgical resection; no lung cancer deaths reported to date.
• Additional 14 patients with Lung-RADS 3 or 4 are under further evaluation.

Dr. Shum reported that FANSS builds upon prior work such as the TALENT study in Taiwan and suggests that current U.S. screening guidelines-which are limited to individuals with a smoking history-may overlook high-risk nonsmoking populations.

"With continued follow-up and pending biomarker analysis, FANSS may provide the data needed to expand evidence-based screening recommendations for non-smoking populations," she said.