If you want to prevent cancer, get screened. Over the years, many types of screenings are available taken at different ages to prevent the dreaded disease.
But do they really work in saving lives? A new study published in BMJ on Wednesday refutes the age-old notion.
Oregon Health and Science University assistant professor Vinay Prasad, along with his colleagues, contends that while cancer screenings may be able to decrease disease-specific mortality, they do not contribute much to reduce overall mortality, which takes into consideration deaths linked to the screening itself.
The study cited prostate cancer screening called prostate-specific antigen (PSA) assay, which is recommended for men at age 50 for those with average risk. According to the research, many results produced false positives. This means the person is diagnosed with cancer even if he does not. The positive yield will then lead for the doctor to recommend a biopsy, which carries certain risks including death. So far, these false-positive results contributed to more than a million prostate biopsies annually.
The research further mentioned that when several men who received a prostate cancer diagnosis will become depressed, which may later force them to commit suicide. A 2010 European Association of Urology (EAU) study also suggested that at least 28% of men with prostate cancer could have high level of anxiety before treatment.
Prasad and team also called for the need of a comprehensive discussion on the risks of cancer screenings of patients. This is after a review on different PSA screening studies implied that the screening itself did not reduce mortality rate of diagnosed patients.
In the end, the team suggested "honesty" on the level of uncertainty surrounding cancer screenings such as PSA.
Interestingly, on the same day, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued a report, saying decreased prostate cancer screenings could cause delay in both diagnosis and treatment of the disease especially on is earliest stages. This report is now available in Journal of Urology.