Analysis Takes Closer Look at Policy for Cancer Screenings

An analysis in today's Journal of the American Medical Association questions the payoff of increased screening for breast and prostate cancer, asserting that the screenings have not significantly reduced death rates from the diseases.  The article comes as the American Cancer Society reportedly is preparing a statement for its Web site indicating that increased screenings could result in overtreatment of small cancers while missing more life-threatening forms of the disease.

• "Medical Experts Rethink Routine Screenings for Breast and Prostate Cancer" (Krieger, San Jose Mercury News, 10/21).
• "In Shift, Cancer Society Has Concerns on Screenings" (Kolata, New York Times, 10/21).