Most people want to know risk of overdiagnosis, but aren’t told

TheConversation: An Australian survey released today has found a large majority of people report they’ve never been told by doctors about the danger of being overdiagnosed – and an equally large majority say they want to be informed. This is the first time anywhere in the world the general community has been asked about their knowledge and views on the “modern epidemic” of overdiagnosis, which happens when someone is diagnosed with a disease that won’t actually harm them. Being overdiagnosed means you’re likely to be over-treated, and potentially suffer the harms of that treatment without getting any of its benefits. It can occur as a result of healthy people undergoing certain cancer screening programs, for instance, and being diagnosed and treated for a cancer that would never progress to cause symptoms or early death.

Agreement on best estimates of breast cancer overdiagnosis urgently needed to inform women

BMJ: Very different estimates are blocking effective communication about breast cancer overdiagnosis, says expert. In 2012, prompted by increasing debate about overdiagnosis, an independent UK panel estimated that about 19% of breast cancers diagnosed among women invited to mammogram screening were in fact overdiagnosed (they would have been harmless). But other estimates have been higher (up to 50%) or lower (less than 5%).