Breast Cancer Misdiagnosis Much Higher than Previously Thought
Posted By Dr. Mercola | May 15 2012
The "C" word. Probably the most feared word there is in healthcare, just the mere mention of cancer conjures up images of death and despair. That's why we have cancer screenings like mammograms. But what if the very test women trust to save them from cancer also causes them to be overdiagnosed, and ultimately treated for something that may never have given them any trouble at all? The idea is appalling, but it's true.
According to a study in Norway, as many as 1 in 4 women are consistently overdiagnosed with breast cancer that, if left alone, would never have caused them any harm. The numbers are alarming enough, but researchers said U.S. overdiagnosis rates are probably even higher. The problem, according to CNN, is related to advances in technology. As mammograms "see" tinier and tinier spots in a woman's films, the possibility of the women being overtreated increases exponentially, when overzealous clinicians insist that more tests, including invasive MRIs with dye and painful biopsies, be done on women who have the misfortune of having a tiny spot in their X-ray.
According to a study in Norway, as many as 1 in 4 women are consistently overdiagnosed with breast cancer that, if left alone, would never have caused them any harm. The numbers are alarming enough, but researchers said U.S. overdiagnosis rates are probably even higher. The problem, according to CNN, is related to advances in technology. As mammograms "see" tinier and tinier spots in a woman's films, the possibility of the women being overtreated increases exponentially, when overzealous clinicians insist that more tests, including invasive MRIs with dye and painful biopsies, be done on women who have the misfortune of having a tiny spot in their X-ray.
The idea of overdiagnosis is exacerbated by studies showing that the very tests designed to rule out cancer can actually CAUSE cancer to grow from the inflammation and bruising that occur as a result of the surgery. Concerns about overdiagnosis in both breast and prostate cancer have been increasing over the years. In 2009, NBC New York interviewed Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, an expert in cancer screening, who said:
"Screening for cancer means that tens of thousands of patients who never would have become sick are diagnosed with this disease. Once they're diagnosed, almost everybody gets treated―and we know that treatment can cause harm."
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