Once again we are rushing to send a public health message to women to get screened based on limited evidence that doing so would save lives.
The study you reported involved mutations found in 2.5 percent of a well-defined small population, Ashkenazi Jews. A percentage of that 2.5 percent, not even all, may receive a diagnosis of breast or ovarian cancer — for example, 50 percent by age 60. Yet a suggested action is risk-reduction surgery to remove healthy body parts, according to the National Cancer Institute and others.
To extrapolate from this high-risk group and this one study to a recommendation for mass population-based genetic screening for all women at 30 is an enormous leap not justified by the evidence.
Women around the world deserve a thoughtful approach to this issue and clear information based on strong scientific evidence, including results of well-designed clinical trials and high-level proof that this would save lives.
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We are far from that point. Let’s not overreact and once again create more harm than good.
Read the full, original story: A premature call for mass cancer screening in women
