Screening

A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicates that the screening method is not as effective as doctors thought.

Cervical cancer is far more common in the developing world than in the US. One reason: women in the US receive routine screening that catches it in its earliest stages. A low-cost test being rolled out in India could save tens of thousands of lives.

Millions of American men are tested each year for prostate cancer, but the blood test used for screening isn’t completely reliable. Now the American Cancer Society says screenings may do more harm than good. What should men at risk of prostate cancer do?

Two new potentially landmark studies show men may be HURTING rather than helping themselves when they get those tests. We ask Gina Kolata, New York Times health reporter, to explain these startling results.