October 22, 2009 – 6:56 pm
The New York Times, as previously mentioned, is reporting a shift in screening policy at the the American Cancer Society, which is now saying that the benefits of early detection of many cancers, especially breast and prostate, have been “overstated”.
“We don’t want people to panic,” Dr Otis Brawley, the Society’s chief medical officer told the [...]
October 21, 2009 – 7:37 pm
Gina Kolata has just published a story in the New York Times that is going to create international waves which will be felt for some time.
She reports that the American Cancer Society – a longtime advocate for most cancer screening – “is now saying that the benefits of detecting many cancers, especially breast and prostate, [...]
October 7, 2009 – 8:24 am
Further to the recent Croakey posts on a new study evaluating the initial impact of bowel cancer screening, one of the study’s authors has sent in her take on the results.
Dr Sumitra Ananda, a cancer specialist in Melbourne, is hoping the Federal Government acts on the new findings.
She writes:
“The recent report in the MJA [...]
October 6, 2009 – 11:22 am
As previously mentioned at Croakey, the latest Medical Journal of Australia has published a study examining the impact of the national bowel cancer screening program. It suggests that the program may be more likely to benefit the better off.
Professor Mark Harris, from the UNSW Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, says there is enough [...]
October 5, 2009 – 5:08 pm
Do cancer screening programs increase the health gap between the well-to-do and the not-so-well-off?
That is one worrying implication from a study just published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Researchers sought to examine the initial impact of the national bowel cancer screening program which offers faecal occult blood testing to those aged 55 or 65.
They reviewed [...]
October 2, 2009 – 11:45 am
If you missed Catalyst on ABC Television last night, there were two excellent reports that are well worth taking the time to watch.
This investigation of the prostate cancer screening debate was much more helpful than the sort of media coverage that we so often see of this fraught issue (and which I’ve been guilty of [...]
September 24, 2009 – 10:48 am
Right now, right around the country, well-meaning community groups, including men’s health groups, are out on the hustings, urging all men of a certain age to be screened for prostate cancer.
There are many potential downsides to such simplistic messages.
You can read more about some of them in this article, published today in the SMH and [...]
September 22, 2009 – 10:00 am
If you’ve had chemotherapy for an early stage cancer, and are experiencing problems with your memory or concentration, you may be interested in a new study for which volunteers are being sought.
Dr Janette Vardy, a medical oncologist at Sydney Cancer Centre and the University of Sydney, has sent in this report:
“We are conducting a [...]
September 10, 2009 – 8:26 am
We’ve heard a lot lately about the importance of physical activity for helping to prevent disease, thanks to the release of the Preventative Health Taskforce report. So it’s timely to be reminded that activity can also be beneficial for those with illness.
Dr Janette Vardy, a medical oncologist at at Sydney Cancer Centre and the University [...]
August 25, 2009 – 9:06 am
The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission’s final report made numerous recommendations, many of which require a great deal more work before they could be considered ready for implementation. It seems unlikely that changes will happen quickly.
However, Professor Ian Olver, CEO of Cancer Council Australia, has a few suggestions for reforms that could be [...]
