Media Outlets Examine Report On Risks, Benefits Of Breast, Prostate Screening

On Wednesday, the American Cancer Society and several health experts reacted to a report in the New York Times that ACS is developing a plan to modify its message about the risks and benefits of breast and prostate cancer screenings. The plan is spurred in part by an analysis published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggesting that screening may be increasing the burden of low-risk cancers without significantly reducing the burden of more aggressively growing cancers. The JAMA report also said that new approaches for screening, early detection and prevention for both diseases might be needed to reduce morbidity and mortality.

However, ACS Vice President Victor Vogel told NBC's "Nightly News With Brian Williams" on Wednesday that the group stands by its guidelines. Vogel said, "Our guidelines, our recommendations are on our Web site, and we are not planning to make revisions to those current recommendations at this time" (Bazell, "Nightly News With Brian Williams," NBC, 10/21).

In a discussion on NPR's "All Things Considered," Martin Solomon, a professor of internal medicine at Harvard Medical School and medical director at Brigham and Women's Hospital's Primary Care Center, said the JAMA analysis that prompted the debate does not substantially change what he would recommend for patients. Solomon said until it is known how to select out which populations that would benefit the most, doctors need to continue to screen everyone (Norris, "All Things Considered," NPR, 10/21). PBS' "NewsHour With Jim Lehrer" also featured a discussion with health experts about the report (Ifill, "NewsHour With Jim Lehrer," PBS, 10/21).


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