Author Topic: Breast Cancer Screening  (Read 245 times)

BazzerPontefract

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Breast Cancer Screening
« on: Feb 01, 2019, 09:45:53 AM »
Anyone listening to the Radio this week will have picked up on the moral panic that large numbers of women are failing to take up the offer of Screening.  This may be important, but as I've just done the Bowel Cancer Screening it made me wonder about the efficacy and cost of these massive nationwide screening programs.  And so Breast Cancer Screening provoked my interest.


Apparently, Breast Cancer Screening saves 800 lives a year - a very positive statistic regardless of the cost.  But most interesting for me, at least, was the fact that Breast Cancer Screening also led to 4000 unnecessary surgical procedures on patients who were perfectly healthy.  And, thinking back, there have been these regular scandals about women presenting for screening and, because of the inefficiency of the service, cases of breast cancer have been missed.


How does cost/benefit analysis (judgements), for the individual woman, work in a situation like this.

Traveller

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Re: Breast Cancer Screening
« Reply #1 on: Feb 01, 2019, 10:28:42 AM »
A good post.  Some time ago on the radio,  one of the leading cancer specialists made that very same point.  Although a certain number of lives were saved, this was offset by the premature deaths arising from complications in surgery (necessary or not). 

She (the specialist) recommended that mass breast screening was not effective, and that women stood a better chance by not seeking diagnosis / treatment until they had obvious signs of trouble.
You'll have had your tea.

Raven

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Re: Breast Cancer Screening
« Reply #2 on: Feb 01, 2019, 12:24:01 PM »
A good post.  Some time ago on the radio,  one of the leading cancer specialists made that very same point.  Although a certain number of lives were saved, this was offset by the premature deaths arising from complications in surgery (necessary or not). 

She (the specialist) recommended that mass breast screening was not effective, and that women stood a better chance by not seeking diagnosis / treatment until they had obvious signs of trouble.


My thoughts exactly, on the subject.  ;D