Cancer screening: A modest proposal for prevention

[摘要] Large-scale cancer screening programs have the unintended consequences of false-positive results and overdiagnosis, leading to anxiety and overtreatment. The magnitude of theseharms continues to be clarifi ed after decades ofscreening. Recognizing the trade-off between benefi tsand harms, the US Preventive Services TaskForce (USPSTF) has changed several of its recommendations in recent years. Breast cancerscreening recommendations have gone fromyearly mammograms starting at age 40 to biennial mammograms starting at age 50 for womenat average risk.2 Prostate cancer screening is nolonger recommended for men age 70 and older,and even for men between 55 and 69, screening is now an individual decision.

[学科分类] 卫生学