Health

erronis

(22,195 posts)

5. Be careful of thinking more screenings will improve mortality.

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Mon Dec 1, 2025, 08:02 PM

Monday

Siddhartha Mukherjee has written several articles (and books) about some of the effects of increased screening. His most recent is https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/23/the-catch-in-catching-cancer-early.

I can't paraphrase very well, but from what I understand, giving screenings to people that are not of high risk may lead to false positives and unneeded procedures. The procedures can be more damaging than letting the disease run its course. The final determinants are Quality-of-Life, and life-span. And, I think, these are based on the individual rather than the society.

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Why screening for the deadliest cancer in the U.S. misses most cases [View all] question everything Monday OP

I had the scan. Insurance paid the 2grand bill. multigraincracker Monday #1

Doc has me down to get one of the screenings slightlv Monday #4

no more chest x rays? nt msongs Monday #2

Of the 2 people I know bamagal62 Monday #3

Be careful of thinking more screenings will improve mortality. erronis Monday #5

She died of lung cancer KT2000 Monday #6

My mother died of lung cancer. no_hypocrisy Monday #7

I am sorry for your loss. This must have been hard on the whole family. question everything Monday #8

More tragic: after my mother discovered that she had less than a week to live, no_hypocrisy Yesterday #9