5 ms·
The assumption that "it does make a difference between death an survival" in not necessarily born out by the data. There has been a big push back recently agai
by adevine 11y ago
The assumption that "it does make a difference between death an survival" in not necessarily born out by the data.
There has been a big push back recently against using an improvement in 5 year survival rate as an indication of success in the war on cancer. For example, if a new diagnostic test lets you find out you have cancer earlier, but you still end up dying at the same age you would anyway, the 5 year survival rate would go up, with no real benefit to you. In fact, there could be lots of real negatives, like anxiety and an increase in other tests and procedures that don't actually improve your lifespan or quality of life.
- izacus 11y agoI'm not sure I understand your point - are you arguing that finding cancer earlier does not increases chances of treatment and survival? Do you have any reliable data on that?
- joelberman 11y agoWhen I had cancer I just wanted it gone. Since it could be cut out, I went with that. Every time I caught a cold I worried that it had returned. I did not want to be on the wrong side of a statistical curve. That others survived would not have comforted me as much as knowing that I would survive. Your mileage may vary.
- adevine 11y agoCheck out this study: http://www.vaoutcomes.com/papers/JAMA2975.pdf http://www.vaoutcomes.com/papers/JAMA2975.pdf The conclusion: "Although 5-year survival is a valid measure for comparing cancer therapies in a randomized trial, our analysis shows that changes in 5-year survival over time bear little relationship to changes in cancer mortality. Instead, they appear primarily related to changing patterns of diagnosis."