Study: Most Americans Strongly Supportive of Screening Tests

Most Americans are strongly in favor of screening tests like sigmoidoscopies or colonoscopies for colorectal cancer, even though more than one-third of those surveyed has suffered at least one false-positive test, according to Dartmouth Medical School researchers.

The researchers conducted national telephone interviews with 500 adults without a history of cancer to learn about their experience with and views on four cancer screening tests: Papanicolaou (Pap); mammography; Prostate Specific Angigen (PSA); and sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.

Reporting in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the researchers said "most American adults (87 percent) feel routine cancer screening is almost always a good idea" even though 40 percent of those who had false-positives characterized that experience as ‘very scary’ or the ‘scariest time of my life.’”

Even 98 percent of those respondents who had the false positive said that looking back they were "glad they had the initial screening test," the researchers reported.

A substantial proportion reported believing that an 80-year-old who chose not to be tested was irresponsible: ranging from 41 percent with regard to mammography to 32 percent for colonoscopy.

The researchers cautioned that such enthusiasm for screening tests puts people at risk for “overtesting and overtreatment” of certain cancers.

“There is growing recognition among medical professionals that cancer screening is a double-edged sword,” reported Drs. Lisa M. Schwartz and Steven Woloshin. “While some individuals may benefit from early detection, others may only be diagnosed and treated for cancer unnecessarily. … The public needs access to balanced information about its [cancer screening] potential benefits and harms.”

Other Sources: Journal of the American Medical Association