Time-to-Statin Prescription for Primary Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in a Lung Cancer Screening Program in Missouri: A Retrospective Cohort Study

The study examined how quickly statins were prescribed to statin-naive patients who underwent lung cancer screening in Missouri between 2015 and 2023. Among 3,100 patients who met criteria for statin prescription for primary prevention, only 27.3% received statins within one year of screening. Faster statin initiation was associated with higher cardiovascular risk category, a cardiology visit in the year before screening, and former smoking status. Older age and male sex were associated with slower prescription rates. Race, insurance type, and area deprivation had no independent effect on statin prescription timing. The study suggests that integrating cardiovascular risk assessment into lung cancer screening workflows could help reduce missed opportunities for cardiovascular disease prevention.