Social disadvantage doubles the burden of false-positive lung screening results

In a large U.S. cohort, people in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged quartile experienced nearly double the rate of false-positive lung cancer screening exams (14.4% vs. 7.5%) compared to the least disadvantaged, driven by higher comorbidity and smoking burden.

• Retrospective study of over 1 million screening exams highlights disparity in screening-related harms, not just access.
• The increased false-positive rate persisted after adjustment, linked primarily to higher baseline lung disease and smoking intensity in disadvantaged groups.
• Single-payer context limits generalizability; findings may underestimate disparities in fragmented healthcare systems.

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