In recent years (especially since the passage of the Affordable Care Act), model health care has evolved towards more preventive care.
Even still, the demand for cancer screening ?? one of the most important preventive measures ?? has been on the decline.
Most Americans do not meet the recommended cancer screening targets, according to a new study from the University of Miami. And those do meet the guidelines were more likely to already be cancer survivors.
The study, which appears in the December 2012 issue of Frontiers in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, followed nearly 175,000 adults from 1997 to 2010. Researchers matched their preventive screening habits to screening guidelines of the American cancer Society
the highest level of compliance was for colorectal cancer. 54 percent of the study group met protocol for these projections. For all other types of cancer, however, participation screening was below 50 percent (the government's goal for their Healthy People 2010 program)
Screenings mesothelioma
's American Cancer Society state mesothelioma screening guidelines :.
"There is no widely recommended screening tests for this cancer in people who are not at increased risk ?? [but] for people with a known exposure to asbestos, some doctors recommend imaging tests such as X-ray or chest computed tomography (CT). "
These measures can identify pre-cancerous developments (such as scars and cellular inflammation) that could one day turn into tumors.
Currently, most mesothelioma patients are diagnosed long after these pre-cancerous developments appear. Unfortunately, by the time they are diagnosed, they are often faced with a disease in an advanced stage and treatment options are greatly reduced.
The relationship at work
The study also found an interesting correlation between the profession and the screening frequency.
workers and workers in service occupations (such as heads, teachers and physiotherapists) were most likely to participate in routine cancer screenings white collar. Blue-collar workers were much lower detection rates.
At the same time, blue-collar workers have significantly higher rates of occupational cancers, including mesothelioma and lung cancer.
Professions such as construction, shipbuilding, plumbing, metalwork and automotive repair have some of the highest rates of cancer related to asbestos. Men aged between 45 and 65 (who worked in those occupations where asbestos was most prevalent), have the greatest risk of developing mesothelioma, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center suggests mesothelioma projections for these people.
The future of mesothelioma Screenings
Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer and executive vice president of the American Cancer Society, adds a caveat to the study.
"will Barriers to prior to change in the coming years, so think of this study as more of a look back at what happened over the last 10 years, not a predictor of what might happen in the next 10 years. "
for patients with mesothelioma, the future projections, potentially including blood tests, which currently exist but are not yet enough effective to be one method of early diagnosis.
for now, however, doctors are reluctant to recommend mesothelioma projections. They explain that early detection will result in early treatment, but the treatment is not yet advanced enough to radically change the outcome of the disease.
However, as researchers continue to work in a more effective treatment, screenings may become more valuable. Even the skeptics can not deny this early stage at diagnosis is a positive prognostic factor, and further capitalize on the benefits of early diagnosis can help save lives.
How many times have you cancer screening? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook.
