Screenings have long been a routine part of prevention for many types of cancer.
But evidence is showing that across-the-board testing might not be beneficial.
“it’s a balance of benefits and harms” says Cleveland Clinic pulmonologist Peter Mazzone, M.D., who co-authored new lung cancer screening guidelines with the American College of Chest Physicians for low dose chest CT scans. The new recommendation saves screening for those most at risk.
“The goal is to find ways, other than age and smoking history, to identify high-risk patients,” say Mazzone.
By developing new tests to predict a patient’s likelihood for getting cancer (like breath or blood tests that look for certain biomarkers), experts can expand the pool of people who are eligible for screening, while minimizing the harms (such as unnecessary (biopsies) that can come with it.
Source: Parade magazine 1-28-2018 supplement to The Elyria-Chronicle newspaper Elyria, Ohio
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