Cancer screening: when does testing go too far?
About this episode
The episode discusses the complexities of prostate cancer screening and the debate surrounding routine testing for men.
The heated debate on prostate cancer screening boils down to one question: should men be routinely screened? Two recent position statements from the UK’s national screening committee published in the BMJ show that screening decisions are steeped in complexity. The benefits of screening may be easier to grasp, but the harms of overdiagnosis and overtreatment are given less attention. Can we close the divide between the public and academic discourse? Guest: Sian Taylor-Phillips is professor of population health at the University of Warwick and a member of the UK national screening committee. Further Reading: UK National Screening Committee position statement on surrogate outcomes in cancer screening trials Prostate cancer screening: Committee rejects calls for mass testing programme despite pressure More interviews from the BMJ on our Youtube channel.
People in this episode
Guest: Sian Taylor-Phillips
Topics covered
- cancer screening
- prostate cancer
- overdiagnosis
- overtreatment
- public health
- screening decisions
Keywords
- cancer screening
- prostate cancer
- overdiagnosis
- overtreatment
- screening committee
- public discourse
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: UK National Screening Committee, University of Warwick, BMJ
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