Recent medical research has demonstrated that preventative screenings for ovarian cancer do not significantly reduce the risk of death in women. Instead, frequent and early screenings seem to increase incorrect diagnoses.
Doctors on Call
Ovarian cancer is a particularly frightening form of the disease. It is much rarer than breast cancer, yet much more deadly. According to estimations by the National Cancer Institute, about 70% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will not survive the disease. While medical testing has helped many, it has also led to healthy people undergoing unnecessary procedures.
Of the total pool of subjects, only 13 malignancies developed. Ten were successfully caught using ultrasound and serum CA-125 estimation, two traditional screening methods. The other three malignancies were not detected until much later.
Dr Diane Sterling of Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom reported the traditional testing methods to be “ineffective in detecting tumours at a sufficiently early stage to influence prognosis.”
Simply, the tests were ineffective. These screenings were not only inaccurate, they also elicited further testing and even unnecessary surgical procedures. In all, 29 women unnecessarily underwent diagnostic surgery as a secondary preventative measure. None of the 29 women ended up having ovarian cancer.
Researchers explained that, due to the poor predictive ability, both ultrasound and serum estimation failed to meet the accuracy standards of the World Health Organisation. They added that they have a “particularly high false-positive rate in premenopausal women, leading to unnecessary surgical intervention.
A critic of the study said that the research was “methodologically flawed.” In his review of the study, Dr Ian Jacobs of University College said the study’s results may be correct, but the conclusions cannot be fully judged from the data collected.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
An independent panel of 16 experts disagrees. The panel has been boisterous in opposing unnecessary screenings, but most recently cited a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in June of 2011.
The panel noted that about 15% of women who received false-positives from ultrasound testing then suffered from “at least one serious complication” resulting from further diagnostic testing. Evaluators sreened 1 110 women in UK Early detection via traditional screenings is not the only cancer prevention method available. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, UK researchers evaluated 1 110 women with moderate to high genetic risk of ovarian cancer.
- This column is directed by your questions, comments and inquiries. Please email [email protected] for additional information
