Lung screening CTs can double for heart risk checks without extra scans

Low-dose lung cancer screening CTs can simultaneously assess coronary artery calcium (CAC) without added radiation. A randomized trial's long-term follow-up linked CAC reporting on these scans to lower cardiovascular mortality, likely by prompting preventive care. Implementing c…

• No prospective trial has yet proven that acting on CAC found during lung screening reduces cardiovascular events, but a long-term analysis showed an association with lower cardiovascular death.
• AI tools may help standardize CAC grading on ungated CTs and extract additional cardiovascular risk markers beyond traditional scoring.

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