[HN Gopher] Are we screening too much for skin cancer? It's comp...
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       Are we screening too much for skin cancer? It's complicated
        
       Author : laurex
       Score  : 12 points
       Date   : 2021-05-05 18:32 UTC (4 hours ago)
        
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       | Vecr wrote:
       | As far as I can tell, all cancer is being screened for too much,
       | except possibly colorectal cancer, mostly just because there's
       | other stuff that can be found in the same exam. If better
       | treatments existed, it might become more worthwhile.
        
       | bricemo wrote:
       | This is a complicated space to get right. Prostate cancer is the
       | opposite: The government used to screen for it (PSA blood test)
       | and so people would see their doctor at stage 1 or 2 cancer, when
       | it can be easily tested. But the problem was that the positivity
       | rate was about 45:1, and the test is too expensive at that scale.
       | So now PSA tests are not routine. As a result, people are now
       | coming in to their doctors with prostate cancer at stage 3 or 4.
       | Might be the right choice for society, but the wrong choice for
       | the individual.
        
         | google234123 wrote:
         | It's definitely complicated because most of these older men
         | with stage 1/2 prostate cancer will not actually die from it
         | since it's so slow. However, getting the treatment for it
         | leaves a huge number with erectile dysfunction or other issues.
         | 
         | Is it really worth screening/treating a disease with a small
         | chance to kill you if that treatment has a huge chance to make
         | you impotent?
        
           | im3w1l wrote:
           | Depends on your values. Some people may think it's worth it
           | for them, and that's valid.
        
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       (page generated 2021-05-05 23:01 UTC)