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The only cancer routinely screened for in people under 50 is cervical cancer. Even then, the test detects precancerous lesions mainly. As such, ascertainment bi
by Gatsky 4y ago
The only cancer routinely screened for in people under 50 is cervical cancer. Even then, the test detects precancerous lesions mainly. As such, ascertainment bias is not a major methodological concern.
- Broken_Hippo 4y agoOk. Overall, though, there aren't a lot of cancer screenings otherwise either. You might get a colonoscopy, but you probably aren't checking for bone cancer either. But you would probably get an MRI of your brain if you were having headaches. An ultrasound to check for gallstones, a CT scan to see if that's your appendix that is hurting. And we are getting way more scans than we used to. A lot of tumors are found as a result of modern imaging technology. More are found by self-examination: We know to watch moles and to do breast or testicular exams at home, for example. When we find precancerous stuff, we can often keep an eye on it and/or do something about it, hopefully before it gets out of hand.
- copperx 4y agoColon cancer guidelines have changed screenings to 45.
- Gatsky 4y agoYes, but that’s recent and after most of the data in the article was collected.
- smt88 4y agoLots of cancers are screened in younger people outside of routine: melanoma, colon cancer, breast cancer, etc. are all things that doctors will test for if a person has certain signs (like a suspicious mole or rectal polyps).
- Gatsky 4y agoThat isn’t screening though, which by definition occurs in people without symptoms or signs. It is true that better access to healthcare or higher health literacy or more scans being done for other reasons will increase the early detection rate of cancers in younger people. But this almost certainly doesn’t explain the increasing incidence as the article talks about.