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A comment on Trial of a blood test that detects eight common forms of cancer. Parent comment

Re:Trial of a blood test that detects eight common forms of ... by rplnt on Friday January 19, 2018 @09:04AM (#16186224)
I'm not sure the pressure to treat is a real issue. Some types of cancers (lymphoma for example) are only monitored in early stages. So if this would result in increased early detection, it might be a standard procedure to just keep an eye on the cancer, even for wider ranges. It's better than waiting for symptoms to appear (and the tendency for people to ignore the symptoms for a year before seeing a doctor).
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Re:Trial of a blood test that detects eight common forms of ... by vidarh on Friday January 19, 2018 @10:05AM (#16186690)
See the link - it includes details about studies done on breast cancer for example where overtreatment is a real issue. This is not a hypothetical concern, but a concern that's significant enough that large scale screening programs have scaled back in some countries in response.
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Re:Trial of a blood test that detects eight common forms of ... by tptacek on Friday January 19, 2018 @11:08AM (#16187232)
It was a real issue for relatives of mine, who had to argue down doctors ordering invasive procedures for things that over the long term turned out to be non-issues.
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