"A consensus exists within the medical and scientific communities that routine cancer screening is unlikely to benefit people who have limited life expectancy. The consensus is reflected in clinical guidelines and more recently in the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation's Choosing Wisely program."
Sarah Palin was right about deathpanels
“...unlikely to benefit people who have limited life expectancy...”
A BRILLIANT “scientific” assessment to rationalize restricting testing or care.
“A consensus exists within the medical and scientific communities that routine cancer screening is unlikely to benefit people who have limited life expectancy. ...”
Unlikely to benefit the Utopian Socialist Society.
Surely it benefits the individual to know. And some cancers can be cured or at least lived with happily for a long time as with a chronic disease.
Each family needs to decide, post screening, whether invasive colon surgery is right for Pops when he is already feeble and frail.
But that is a different subject. They want to cut coverage for the elderly. People are living too long for obamaCare.
"A consensus exists within the Accounting Department of HMO's.......". Let a congressman or senator get the sniffles and they get a hospital stay. Scans save lives especially non invasive ones. I know three close family members that had cancer. Two had early screenings and diagnoses and one did not. The one who didn't was diagnosed after it had spread. It was Prostate Cancer in the case of my dad and had he gone to a doctor a couple years earlier and had a PSA test he likely would not have died from it. BTW the article is misleading due to the fact most persons with cancer technically do not die from the cancer but rather stressed organs such as heart etc.
Doctors told my dad at age 73 when diagnosed the cancer was so advanced he had three years. They started treatment and changed it to it would not likely kill him but something else would. Because of treatment he had ten years to live nine of which he enjoyed life fully. The cancer did kill him because even at 83 he was otherwise healthy. He would have otherwise likely seen his 90's.
Some studies are calling for the end of PSA testing. PSA testing saved the life of a shipmate of mine in his mid 50's a few years ago. Same age as me. I ran into him at the store and he told me they caught it in time. You darn well bet I get tested.
My wife just had her two year post diagnoses and removal Thyroid scan. Thankfully it was negative.