US report on 'harm' of testing for cancer too young
It is rare that news stories are genuinely surprising but I was taken aback when I heard that the , recommending women NOT to get screening for breast cancer until they are 50.
They say that the net benefit from screening women between 40 and 50 is "small" - in other words, some more cancers would be detected but not that many.
"The harms resulting from screening for breast cancer include psychological harms, unnecessary imaging tests and biopsies in women without cancer, and inconvenience due to false-positive screening results."
They add that when it comes to training people to test themselves, the harms are often greater than the benefits. In other words, a few deaths would be prevented by testing, but that is outweighed by the worry caused by misdiagnoses, and in some cases unnecessary surgery.
The reason I am astounded is that while the NHS does not screen women until they are 50, every doctor I know (and admittedly this is anecdotal) seems to advise middle-aged women to "test and test often".
, fearing that in the US this gives insurance companies the excuse they are looking for to decline paying for such tests.
I’m Mark Mardell, the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s North America editor. These are my reflections on American politics, some thoughts on being a Brit living in the USA, and who knows what else? My 
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