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The danger of over-diagnosis

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    Mammograms cited in needless treatments

  • Duration 3:18
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Yeah.

-- minutes after the top of the hour welcome back everyone it's long been believed that early detection of breast cancer through routine mammograms.

A lifesaver.

But now a new study is casting doubt on those claims according to researchers.

He exams often lead to surgeries radiation on tumors that may have never become life threatening.

Joining me now with more on this is doctor Marc Siegel he's part of our medical eighteen an associate professor of medicine at New York University.

Good morning to doctor according to study out of Norway estimates that fifteen to 25% of breast cancers found by mammograms would not have caused any life threatening problems.

What is this going to do.

To mammograms and early detection.

Well first of all let me start by saying I think this is an amazing study because they took the whole society of Norway.

Over a ten year period when there were starting to give everybody mammograms.

And they compared those who got them.

And those that didn't.

And -- you found in looking over 40000 women that there's a lot of over diagnosis going on with -- fifteen to 25%.

Of women.

We're told they had breast cancer that probably never would have had an impact in their lives or killed them.

But let me tell you -- something that means that 75 to 85%.

Have breast cancer that would have been a problem.

And Gretchen you can't tell the difference.

So I think that people may try to spin this as we're doing too many mammograms I don't think so.

I think it comes down to the art of Madison I think it's an extremely useful tool.

I think 75%.

Is a whopping number of women that can be helped.

I think if you ask a woman out there do you wanna know if you have breast cancer are not of course they do and it's up to a great doctor to figure out what to do with -- This this factors into the whole health care discussion we're having in this country right now.

Because some people who did not like the idea of Obama -- were concerned that some of these preventative measures like mammograms might go by the wayside.

Could this study now be used to defend that position.

I think it could be used to defend that position I think it will be used to defend that position and that's the whole problem good guy bad guy good test -- test.

That type of thinking is leads to rationing of care and it's a very bad idea and mammograms by the way are an extremely good test.

The relatively inexpensive of course somewhat uncomfortable to have but I use them and.

How would you know doctor.

I.

-- report I reports I gotta get to this because this is a promising meetings -- -- cancer that's horrible pancreatic cancer.

Life expectancy never a good thing here what is it.

This is an amazing new vaccine that's in the early stages that basically takes a smallpox virus and injects it right into the cancer pancreatic cancer.

And teaches the immune system to attack.

The cancer -- -- we don't usually look at cancer -- something foreign but it really is the body doesn't notice it early enough but with this vaccine.

It says wait a minute what is this and it tax it and it starts to fight it we're using this technology.

Vaccines against cancer.

In all different kinds of cancers we evident prostate now we're doing it -- melanoma.

And now with pancreatic cancer I think this is extremely promising and I think it's the wave of the future but it's still years away.

The good news for so many people to get that diagnosis is very good news right doctor -- great to see where this an aggressive.

Coming up the president.

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