Alonzo Walker, MD Understanding Cancer Screenings The logic seems impeccable: catch cancer early, cure cancer. But the reality is much more complex.
That question has raised much controversy in recent years. In 2009, women around the nation expressed their confusion and in some cases, outrage when the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended low-risk women wait until age 50 to begin annual breast cancer screening with mammography. Most recently, the USPSTF advised against routine PSA (prostate specific antigen) prostate cancer screening for healthy men at low risk. Some men and women who faithfully scheduled annual PSA tests and mammograms now wonder what to do. Schedule screenings as usual, or hold off in accordance with the recommendations?
At Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin, physicians, nurses and other providers work to help individuals and communities understand and appreciate the role of cancer screening.
Risk vs. Benefit
While screening tests can indicate cancer, a diagnosis must be validated with a biopsy and a pathology analysis. A woman who has a concerning mammogram is almost always scheduled for additional testing, including a probable breast biopsy. Likewise, a man with an abnormal PSA test result may be scheduled for a biopsy. Biopsies, like any other invasive medical procedure, involve certain risks, including infection and bleeding. If cancer cells are found, discussion immediately turns to consideration of treatment. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are all effective anti-cancer interventions, but each has potential side effects.
Most women and men agree the discomforts associated with treatment are more than worth it if early detection of cancer equals a longer, healthier life. But scientific research suggests that for some people, the risks of cancer screening outweigh the benefits. That’s why the USPSTF and others have revised cancer screening recommendations.
16
froedtert.com/cancer Clinical Cancer Center
hen we screen for cancer, we are essentially looking for cancer in a patient who has no symptoms,” said Alonzo Walker, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin surgical oncologist and director of the Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Breast Cancer Program. How far should doctors go to detect cancer in an otherwise healthy patient?
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24