Cancer screenings may cause more harm than good, doctors argue

Two doctors are challenging the widely held belief that early cancer detection through screening is always beneficial. In an opinion piece for Dagens Nyheter, Hans-Olov Adami and Sven Britton argue that mammograms and prostate cancer screenings frequently result in false alarms and overdiagnosis, potentially harming healthy individuals.

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But the truth is that mammography and tests for prostate cancer often provide false alarms and extensive overdiagnosis.

They distinguish between two principles of early diagnosis. The first involves reducing wait times for patients who already exhibit symptoms, a measure they believe requires stronger healthcare policy. The second principle, screening asymptomatic individuals, is where they find significant drawbacks. While acknowledging the clear benefits of screening for pre-cancerous cervical and colon conditions, they question the overall value of mammography and PSA testing.

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Politicians continue to expand controls that can do more harm than good to healthy people.

The doctors contend that the focus should shift towards addressing healthcare wait times for those already experiencing symptoms. They suggest that while early detection of conditions like heart attacks or appendicitis is crucial, the same cannot be universally applied to all cancers. The current expansion of screening programs, they argue, may do more harm than good by subjecting healthy people to unnecessary anxiety and invasive procedures.

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The debate about the blessing of mammography has been going on for half a century, so far without consensus.