Detection of Lung Abnormalities in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Who Smoke and Who Were Screened for Lung Cancer With Low‐Dose Chest Computed Tomography Imaging in Routine Clinical Care: Results From a Large Multihospital System
Main finding · Positive screen (nodules requiring further imaging or biopsy)Result — go to the resultOdds ratio 1.38 95% CI 1.02–1.87Authors' conclusion
Patients with RA had higher prevalence of positive screening, fibrotic changes, and bronchiectasis detected by low-dose chest CT performed for lung cancer screening. Approximately one in four patients with RA who met US Preventive Services Task Force lung cancer screening criteria had a positive screen, whereas 1 in 20 had lung cancer.
Study context
- Population
- Patients screened for lung cancer with low-dose chest computed tomography (CT) in the Mass General Brigham health care system, 2015–2023
- Participants
- 228 vs 14,805
- Exposure
- Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) vs comparators without RA screened for lung cancer with low-dose chest CT
- RAn = 228
- Without RAn = 14,805reference
- Outcome
- Prevalence of lung nodules, positive screen (nodules requiring further imaging or biopsy), fibrotic lung changes, bronchiectasis and lung cancer
Methodological detailsconsecutive patients, multihospital, multivariable logistic regression
- Consecutive patients
- Multihospital
- Multivariable logistic regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Positive screen (nodules requiring further imaging or biopsy)
Odds ratio
1.38
95% CI 1.02–1.87
By group
RAvs Without RA
OR 1.38 (95% CI 1.02–1.87)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Lung cancer
P = 0.33
| Outcome | OR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Fibrotic lung changesMultivariable model | 1.77 (1.08–2.91) | |
| BronchiectasisMultivariable model | 1.64 (1.12–2.39) | |
| 0.20.5125Odds ratio (log scale) |
Original publication
Detection of Lung Abnormalities in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Who Smoke and Who Were Screened for Lung Cancer With Low‐Dose Chest Computed Tomography Imaging in Routine Clinical Care: Results From a Large Multihospital System. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). Published 6 January 2026. doi:10.
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