Skip to main content

Removing Race Correction From Lung Function Test Changes Clinical Management

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 30, 2023 -- Removal of race correction from pulmonary function tests (PFTs) may change surgical management of lung cancer in African American patients, according to a study published Aug. 16 in JAMA Surgery.

Sidra N. Bonner, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues aimed to identify how many hospitals providing lung cancer surgery use race correction, examined the association of race correction with predicted lung function, and tested the effect of hypothetical vignettes on surgeons’ treatment recommendations for African American patients. The analysis included data from 515 African American patients who underwent lung cancer resection between Jan. 1, 2015, and Sept. 31, 2022.

The researchers found that 15 of 16 hospitals performing lung cancer resection for African American patients in Michigan reported using race correction, corresponding to 91.8 percent of African American patients having race-corrected PFTs. If race-neutral equations had been used, the percent predicted preoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and postoperative FEV1 would have decreased by 9.2 percent (P < 0.001) and 7.6 percent (P < 0.001), respectively. Among 225 cardiothoracic surgeons who completed treatment recommendations based on a randomized vignette, surgeons randomly assigned to the vignette with African American race-corrected PFTs were more likely to recommend lobectomy (79.2 percent) versus surgeons randomly assigned to the other race or multiracial-corrected vignette (61.7 percent; P = 0.02) or race-neutral PFTs (52.8 percent; P = 0.001).

“It is important that race-correction in spirometry tests is removed given that it is based on the flawed concept of race as a biological factor,” Bonner said in a statement. “For African Americans with lung cancer being evaluated for surgery, this may exacerbate existing disparities in lung cancer care.”

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted August 2023

Read this next

BMI Cutoff of 30 for Obesity May Be Too High for Middle-Aged, Older Adults

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- The optimal body mass index (BMI) cutoff point appears to be 27 kg/m2 for detecting obesity in middle-aged and older adults, according to a study presented...

Emergency Inguinal Hernia Surgery Rates Increased With Lower Country Income

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- For patients undergoing inguinal hernia surgery, emergency surgery rates increase from high- to low-income countries, according to a study published online...

Maternal Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein Levels Higher in Black Than White Women

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels are higher in Black than White pregnant women, supporting the use of accounting for these differences in...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.