Abstract
Early detection of disease, or screening, is an attractive diagnostic strategy for physicians. Screening facilitates detection of disease early in its clinical course, before many pathologic changes have occurred and while the disease may be more amenable to treatment. As attractive as early detection may seem, however, certain principles should be considered to assure the appropriateness of any decision to seek early diagnosis (Table 18.1).1 Such considerations include the importance or seriousness of the target disease; the presence of an early presymptomatic period; the accuracy and acceptability of available diagnostic tests; the risk associated with invasive diagnostic testing; the efficacy, cost, and availability of treatment; and the risk of treatment, such as adverse drug effects or adverse outcomes of surgery. The absence of clear information about any one of these considerations will diminish the potential value of any screening strategy.
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Feussner, J.R., Oddone, E.Z., Wong, J.G. (1997). Screening for Cancer. In: Cassel, C.K., et al. Geriatric Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2705-0_18
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