New lung cancer screening recommendations are shockingly reckless
Keep calm and carry on
When the National Cancer Institute came out with its new screening recommendations a week or two ago, everyone missed one important detail: PSAs and mammograms aren’t the only types of cancer screening.
But you certainly wouldn’t know it.
All the discussions, all the headlines centered on these two tests. Blah, blah, blah…PSA. Blah, blah, blah…mammograms.
It’s like they think women are all boobs and men are just prostate holders.
And with all the focus there, everyone is missing a critical “fail” in cancer screening that could leave you and your loved ones in real danger.
Make it rain
On the same day the NCI announcement about screening restraint hit the news, we heard from another government panel. (Do these guys never get tired of spending our money?)
According to this panel, all smokers and anyone who has quit smoking over the past 15 years should get yearly lung cancer screening. The panel estimates this will save thousands of lives per year.
If you stop right there, it seems like a pretty good idea. But we’re not going to stop there…
First of all, at $300 to $500 per scan, and with millions of people qualifying for the scan, the radiology industry is poised for a mammoth boost in business. And — what do you know! — the panel largely based its recommendation on a study by…the American College of Radiology Imaging Network.
That’s like a government panel recommending we all drink Slurpees, based on a study by 7-Eleven.
But in this case, the money isn’t the real issue. The dangers with lung cancer screening are similar to mammography. The most glaring is the radiation exposure, year after year. The cumulative risk is immeasurable.
Let’s remember…we’re trying to detect and stop cancer here…not CAUSE it.
But still we haven’t gotten to the worst part. Are you sitting down? The rate of false positives is 96 percent! That means risk of overtreatment is through the roof.
And lung cancer scans commonly find suspicious spots. And guess what’s the best way to monitor those spots. With follow up scans! Of course! So you come back a few months later for another scan. And a few months later for another.
The fact that this recommendation was released the very same day as the NCI’s “restraint” recommendation would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic.
There may be no group more worried about cancer than smokers and former smokers. Over-screening — and creating greater dangers — to fill the coffers is fear-mongering at best.
It’s simple: Avoid routine screening for lung cancer. The radiation puts you at risk. And anything with a 96% fail rate is a waste of your time and money — and will inevitably lead to more unnecessary treatment.
Sources:
“Scientific Panel Recommends New Personalized Strategies to Reduce Cancer Overtreatment” University of California, San Francisco Press Release, 7/29/13, newswise.com
“Panel Urges Lung Cancer Screening For Millions Of Americans” Richard Knox, NPR, 7/29/13, npr.org
