Early Screening for Cancer: The Perils and Promises

Straight Talking Doc Unhinged

We have always known about basic cancer screening tests, like mammography and colonoscopy. But we have expanded the universe of cancer screening, relying on scans, blood tests, and genetic testing. As we screen more, we find more, we treat more, but are we saving lives? Much of the screening we do has not been shown to save as many lives as advertised, if any at all once the complications of the screening are taken into consideration. A new study in JAMA questions some newer screening tests, and past studies in Archives of Internal Medicine have found that overall most screening is not life saving. The new screens are even more perilous, introducing increased uncertainty to an already uncertain field. It's interesting to read Malcom Gladwell's take on screening in the New Yorker, helping us to learn about the promise and perils of basic screening. Alan and Andy will tackle this issue through the lens of their experience and a whole lot of data!