Description

Why you should usually avoid cancer screening and always distrust cancer charities' seducing announcements about screening

Speaker: Peter Gøtzsche (Nordic Cochrane Centre)

Date: 5 April 2018 

Conference: What Is so Special About Cancer? Perspectives from Clinical Research, Philosophy and Social Sciences

We have carried out extensive research on mammography screening and published the first Cochrane review about this in 2001. I explain why women should avoid going to mammography screening, why men should avoid the PSA test and why we should all avoid some other common cancer screening tests, with sigmoideoscopy and Pap smears being the exceptions that confirm the general rule of ignoring the many offers.

• This event was sponsored by the Limits of the Numerical Research Project at CRASSH, University of Cambridge, with generous support from the Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF).