ABSTRACT
Coronary artery calcium (CAC) is considered a useful test for enhancing
risk assessment in the primary prevention setting. Clinical trials are
under consideration. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
convened a multidisciplinary working group on August 26 to 27, 2019, in
Bethesda, Maryland, to review available evidence and consider the
appropriateness of conducting further research on coronary artery
calcium (CAC) testing, or other coronary imaging studies, as a way of
informing decisions for primary preventive treatments for cardiovascular
disease. The working group concluded that additional evidence to
support current guideline recommendations for use of CAC in middle-age
adults is very likely to come from currently ongoing trials in that age
group, and a new trial is not likely to be timely or cost effective. The
current trials will not, however, address the role of CAC testing in
younger adults or older adults, who are also not addressed in existing
guidelines, nor will existing trials address the potential benefit of an
opportunistic screening strategy made feasible by the application of
artificial intelligence. Innovative trial designs for testing the value
of CAC across the lifespan were strongly considered and represent
important opportunities for additional research, particularly those that
leverage existing trials or other real-world data streams including
clinical computed tomography scans. Sex and racial/ethnic disparities in
cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality, and inclusion of
diverse participants in future CAC trials, particularly those based in
the United States, would enhance the potential impact of these studies.