From The Medical Republic, 30 October 2023:
“Current evidence does not substantiate the claim that common cancer screening tests save lives.” As scientific mic drops go, it’s a doozy.
The Australian government alone spends more than $400 million a year on screening programs for just three cancers – breast, bowel and cervical – and is about to add a fourth – lung. Globally, the investment in cancer screening likely runs into the hundreds of billions of dollars.
Yet a systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine in August suggests that four commonly implemented screening programs for breast, bowel, prostate and lung cancer do not meaningfully shift the dial on longevity.
While controversial for a number of reasons, the paper exposes some tricky, almost philosophical conundrums at the heart of cancer screening as a public health intervention. Read more.
Bianca Nogrady 