Aspen Ideas Festival: How useful is medical screening?
In this photo taken on Thursday, May. 6, 2010, radiologist Dr. Gerald Iba checks mammograms at The Elizabeth Center for Cancer Detection in Los Angeles.
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
The pros and cons of medical screening tests, from two doctors at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Is early detection of diseases like cancer always a good thing? Is it worth the fear, anxiety, false alarms, and possible over-diagnosis? The doctors say there's not just a dollar cost, but a human cost. And one of the physicians says its important to find the cancers that actually matter. Dr. H. Gilbert Welch of Dartmouth and Dr. Jessica Herzstein of Penn and the US Preventive Services Task Force.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.