Just remember that, like all powerful techniques, screening can have serious side-effects. This is why the benefits and the disadvantages of screening - in particular screening of individuals without symptoms, so called «general screening» - must be investigated thoroughly - one study is hardly enough. And as believecommonsense indicates, these advantages and disadvantages are subject to change according to the screening techniques used - and since, if we are talking about cancers, many types grow so slowly that end points are decades away, those employed when the study began may well be outdated when it reaches its end. One thing does seem sure - better techniques which increase the detection rate of those who have the disease or pre-condition in question, while reducing the rate of false positives, are very much needed. Instead of investing lives and treasure in killing people abroad, invest in research designed to better detect and heal disease - that’s the kind of soft power to which a country and its people should aspire !…
Just remember that, like all powerful techniques, screening can have serious side-effects. This is why the benefits and the disadvantages of screening - in particular screening of individuals without symptoms, so called «general screening» - must be investigated thoroughly - one study is hardly enough. And as believecommonsense indicates, these advantages and disadvantages are subject to change according to the screening techniques used - and since, if we are talking about cancers, many types grow so slowly that end points are decades away, those employed when the study began may well be outdated when it reaches its end. One thing does seem sure - better techniques which increase the detection rate of those who have the disease or pre-condition in question, while reducing the rate of false positives, are very much needed. Instead of investing lives and treasure in killing people abroad, invest in research designed to better detect and heal disease - that’s the kind of soft power to which a country and its people should aspire !…
Henri