After years of public service announcements and medical agencies touting the benefits of regular cancer screenings for cervical, prostate, and breast cancers, expert medical groups are now recommending less frequent screenings. An article titled, "Considering When It Might Be Best Not to Know About Cancer," in the NYTimes.com, October 29, 2011, breaks down the new recommendations.
Studies have shown that screening for various cancers too frequently is creating an enormous financial burden on the health care system, and even creates a danger to the patients. For example, with prostate cancer, studies are demonstrating that prostate cancer screenings are likely not saving lives, in fact, they are causing men to have disabling treatments that really didn't need to be implemented.
Screening procedures no longer recommended from various expert medical groups:
- P.S.A. screening test for prostate cancer does not save lives and causes enormous harm
- Women in their 40's do not appear to benefit from mammograms
- Screening test timeframe recommendations:
- Women ages 50 to 74 should have mammograms every two years, instead of every year
- Pap tests for women for cervical cancer should be every three years, instead of every year
A mammography study further revealed that out of 138,000 cancers detected in women each year, somewhere between 120,000 to 134,000 of these cancers are already lethal and beyond being treatable or the cancers will grow slowly and not need to be treated at all.
However, some doctors and specialists fear a lawsuit for failure to detect a treatable cancer in time. Patients are often willing to risk the potential harm of a screening if it can save lives. A question that arises: Is this issue coming out simply a way to lower health care costs or is it for the benefit of the patient? Doctors, who deal directly with their patients, recommend frequent screenings, and patients agree to these screenings. Cancer experts believe the answer lies in the combination of these statements; lower costs and safer for the patient, but some doctors may recommend more frequent screenings for their patients.
Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer with the American Cancer Society states, "Screening is always a double-edged sword. We need to be more cautious in our advocacy of these screening tests." However, many doctors and specialists, such as urologists, radiologists, and oncologists believe screening is necessary to detect and treat cancer early.
Regarding costs, The New England Journal of Medicine posted an article concluding $5.2 million must be spent on screening to prevent one prostate cancer death. Estimates are this amount is even higher. This brings the issue of how much to spend in order to save lives. It also creates a dilemma for doctors who will have a difficult time explaining the new guidelines to patients. Some doctors may make recommendations based on their own beliefs and others may follow the new guidelines. Also, as more cancers are being determined to not be treatable, or not be a threat, as they grow slowly or stop growing altogether, the issue of cancer screening has become even more complicated; likely leaving many patients wondering when and if they should be screened.