Search Tag: overdiagnosis
Mammograms: Are We Overdiagnosing Small Tumours?
2017 12 Jun
According to a Yale study, because many small breast cancers are inherently slow growing, often these cancers will not grow large enough to become significant within a patient’s lifetime and subsequently early detection could lead to overdiagnosis. In contrast, large tumours that cause most breast cancer deaths often grow so quickly that they become... Read more
MRI Improves Prostate Cancer Detection, Avoids Unneeded Biopsy
2017 24 Jan
An MRI scan given to men with suspected prostate cancer can help reduce rates of unnecessary biopsy by 27 percent and overdiagnosis by 5 percent, says a new study appearing in The Lancet. See Also: Novel MRI Method Distinguishes Healthy Prostate Tissue from CancerIt's common for men to undergo a biopsy of their prostate if they experience symptoms... Read more
Screening in Older People - When Not To
2016 22 Jan
Researchers in the U.S. have found that nearly 16 percent of individuals 65 years or older may have received non-recommended screenings for breast and prostate cancers because they had limited life expectancies of less than 10 years. The finding, reported in JAMA Oncology, could help inform measures to curb unnecessary and potentially harmful cancer... Read more
Expert: Paying Women to Have Mammograms 'Unethical'
2015 13 Sep
Paying women to have mammograms is unethical, according to a Viewpoint article published in JAMA by an expert from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Insurance companies typically offer cash payments ($10 to $250) for mammography completion. However, such incentives are "ethically troubling," says the article author Harald... Read more
Hi-tech Imaging Pushing Up Thyroid Cancer Rates
2015 11 Sep
Increased detection of low-risk cancers through the use of high-tech imaging is driving up thyroid cancer rates, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in the journal Thyroid. Researchers found that the number of new cases of thyroid cancer nearly doubled over the past decade, with nearly 30 percent of these recent cases diagnosed when clinicians... Read more
Is that Scan (Song) Really Necessary?
2015 28 Jul
As the concept of “Choosing Wisely” travels the world (USA, Australia, Canada, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK), one Canadian professor of pharmacy, James McCormack, has created medical parodies in song to spread the Choosing Wisely message (and other topics that are well worth a viewing). While the evidence that you retain 20% of what you... Read more
Breast Cancer Routinely Overdiagnosed in Norway
2015 11 Jul
Norway's Breast Cancer Screening Programme has come under closer scrutiny following new research showing that the screening results in overdiagnosis — for every life saved by the screening programme, five women are overdiagnosed and treated unnecessarily. The findings are based on a study conducted by the Research Council of Norway — upon request by... Read more
Screening Mammography: More Small Cancers Suggest Overdiagnosis
2015 07 Jul
A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that screening mammography was associated with increased diagnosis of small cancers, but not with significant changes in breast cancer mortality or a decreased incidence of larger breast cancers. Researchers say the increased incidence of small cancers may be the result of overdiagnosis.The researchers... Read more
Public Not Aware of Dangers of Overdiagnosis
2015 25 May
According to new research published in the journal PLOS ONE, only one in ten Australians report being told about the risk of overdiagnosis by their doctors. Overdiagnosis is an increasingly recognised problem. Often, healthy people are screened for diseases such as prostate or breast cancer and are victims of unnecessary labelling and treatment. The... Read more
US Spends $4 Billion Per Year On Breast Cancer Overtreatment
2015 08 Apr
A study published this week in Health Affairs reports that the US spends an estimated $4 billion per year on unnecessary medical expenditures for women between the ages of 40 and 59 who see their doctors for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. The costs are related to mammograms that generate false alarms ($2.8 billion) and treatment for some slow-growing,... Read more