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Although
there are thousands of medical tests available,
unfortunately only a few of them have been proven
to help detect disease, the rest help make the
diagnosis.
Breast cancer
Screening
mammography is recommended every 1-2 years for
all women 40 years old and over.
There
is not enough scientific evidence to recommend
a clinical breast examination or breast-self examination
without mammography for breast cancer screening.
Cervical
cancer
Screening
should begin within 3 years of onset of sexual
activity or age 21 (whichever comes first).
Repeat every 3 years.
Colon
cancer
Screening
is recommended for men and women 50 years old
or more.
Source:
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Is
this it? Why don't we screen for more diseases?
In
order for a particular test to be recommended
as a tool for detecting a particular disease,
we need to have scientific evidence (clinical
trials) that the test is reliable (will detect
majority of disease-positive cases), will not
harm the patient (a positive test result which
in reality is false will lead to additional tests
and/or treatment which may be harmful to the patient),
the success rate of screening test must be high
enough that it will improve survival. There
are tests which find the disease sooner than other
traditional means, but studies show that patients
do not live longer even if the disease is detected
earlier. In such cases, the screening test
will not be recommended because it does not lower
patient mortality among other things. See
Screening Tests
Explained for more information.
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