Re: "Screening" tests
From: Bob (bbruner_at_uclink4.berkeley.edu)
Date: 07/04/04
- Next message: George: "Re: American health care best? No...Most expensive? Yes...Ranked 12th"
- Previous message: Bob: "Re: Genetically engineered micro-organisms to fight disease?"
- In reply to: dale.j. : "Re: "Screening" tests"
- Next in thread: George Conklin: "Re: "Screening" tests"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Date: Sat, 03 Jul 2004 18:20:42 -0700
On Sat, 03 Jul 2004 15:46:01 -0500, "dale.j. " <nos.pamz@nospam.com>
wrote:
>In article <YrWdnU-NEr6dRnvdRVn-sA@comcast.com>,
> Leonard Evens <len@math.northwestern.edu> wrote:
>
>
>>
>> Again it depends. If there is no known effective treatment, knowing
>> about it early rather than late may not be helpful.
>>
>> For prostate cancer I think it is generally helpful. You don't
>> necessarily have to treat prostate cancer just because you know you have
>> it. It depends on the details of the diagnosis, the age of the patient
>> and some other factors.
>
>
>What cancer do we not have an effective treatment for if found early
>enough? I'm curious because I thought that if cancer were found early
>the treatments would be effective and I was also under the impression
>there are treatments for all types of cancer.
>
>Perhaps we are still not finding the cancer early enough.
I just happened to be reading the book by the author discussed in the
press release that Bob Fink posted (Should I be tested for cancer?
Univ Calif Press, 2004). Of course, the story is more complex than the
simple press release, and the book deals with it much better.
In a sense, early detection is the problem. The earlier the detection,
the less definitive it is. So, some may benefit from the early
detection, but others may be hurt by it (by the diversion of resources
to treating something that is not worth treating).
The case is not black/white. The author would not object to those who
make an informed choice to be tested, esp if they have risk factors or
symptoms. But he also would not object to those who look at all that
is known and choose not to (in the absence of symptoms).
Of course, this helps make the case for improved detection -- meaning
not so much earlier but better (more accurate).
bob
- Next message: George: "Re: American health care best? No...Most expensive? Yes...Ranked 12th"
- Previous message: Bob: "Re: Genetically engineered micro-organisms to fight disease?"
- In reply to: dale.j. : "Re: "Screening" tests"
- Next in thread: George Conklin: "Re: "Screening" tests"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Relevant Pages
|
