Principles, effectiveness and caveats in screening for cancer

摘要: Background: Cancer screening has the potential to prevent or reduce incidence and mortality of target disease, but may also be harmful have unwanted side-effects. Methods: This review explains basic principles cancer screening, common pitfalls in evaluation effectiveness harms summarizes evidence for effects most commonly used tools. Results: Cancer either been established is considered breast, lung, prostate, cervical colorectal cancer. In contrast, gastrointestinal malignancies outside large bowel not generally accepted, available implemented. Oesophageal gastric carcinoma, hepatocellular subject certain risk populations, currently population based on technology. Screening by endoscopy cytology respectively can decrease whereas tools prostate breast detect early-stage invasive disease thus do incidence. Overdiagnosis (detection cancers that will become clinically apparent absence screening) a challenge screening. The improvement quality clinical practice following introduction programmes an appreciated ‘side-effect’, it important disentangle effect from services. As new, powerful tests emerge—particularly molecular genetic fields, radiology other diagnostics–the requirements implementation must borne mind. Conclusion: Cancer several forms Europe. reduction good, exist need addressed, communicated public. Copyright © 2012 British Journal Surgery Society Ltd. Published John Wiley & Sons,