Posted by Gary Schwitzer in Cancer, Health care journalism, Shared decision-making
This is a very important story.
“Unfortunately,” as a Mayo Clinic physician says in the story, “this is something that isn’t well understood, not just by the public – but by physicians who order the tests.”
Special focus was placed on the nuclear technologies of breast-specific gamma imaging and positron emission mammography. The story says a single exam with one of these tests “exposes patients to a risk of radiation-induced cancer that is comparable to the risk from an entire lifetime of yearly mammograms starting at 40.”
And the story goes on to discuss a concern that these tests will “become more widespread and casual…now being considered and even being used in some cases as screening tests, and this is not appropriate” – according to the Mayo physician quoted.
Treatment for advanced ovarian tumors may lengthen survival, but questions still remain, despite the story’s emphasis on “promising” and “new hope.”
As with the HealthDay story on this research that we reviewed, readers of this story get a good dose of caveats and cautions along with the suggestions that electrical brain stimulation might someday “have implications” for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
The readers of this story and the other one we reviewed by Reuters are likely to understand that electrical brain stimulation could have some memory effects, but it’s a long way from becoming a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
We will not display your name or e-mail address on the site, nor will we share youre-mail address with any third parties.
For site updates and news from Gary, find us on Twitter:
HealthNewsReview: @HealthNewsRevu
Gary Schwitzer: @garyschwitzer
Copyright © 2012 Health News Review
Add Comment
Disclaimer: I welcome comments but will delete those with any kind of product pitch, profanity, personal attacks or those from anyone who doesn’t list what appears to be an actual e-mail address. I will also end any thread of comments that are repetitive. Because I moderate comments, I can’t keep reacting to repeatedly inaccurate or unsubstantiated claims. We don't give medical advice so we won't respond to questions asking for it.