Hello everyone!
I just read this article that talks about how the American Cancer Society is now suggesting that some health screenings for cancer may come with a risk of overtreating small cancers while missing other more deadly forms of cancer.
To say that I have mixed feelings about this article is the understatement of the year. While I'm sure that some people do wonder about all of the chemo, surgery, and/or radiation they had for cancers that might not have turned out to be what others thought it was, it still seems a bit unsettling to me that this key organization would speak out about cancer testing.
It sounds like the same American Cancer Society that has suggested for years that we get certain tests is now back pedaling and saying some of the tests aren't that great or needed after all. I guess my concern is that this story might encourage people who are squeamish about getting tested to skip it, and it might increase the risk of not catching a cancer until it is too late.
Here is the link to the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/health/21cancer.html?_r=1
What are your thoughts on this story? Do you agree with what the article says? Do you know someone who ended up having unnecessary treatments for cancer? Or do you think this organization has it all wrong?