A recent study published in the Medical Journal of Australia examined the “proportion of cancer diagnoses in Australia that might reasonably be attributed to overdiagnosis.”
The research team collected data between 1982 and 2012 from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and analyzed five different cancer types: breast, prostate, renal, thyroid, and melanoma. The outcomes were measured by the “difference in lifetime risks of cancer diagnosis between 1982 and 2012.”
Ultimately, the data revealed that annually, roughly 11,000 of cancer cases in women and 18,000 in men may be overdiagnosed. The researchers suggest that healthcare providers and services in Australia should “monitor emerging areas of overdiagnosis” as these rates may need to be reduced.
Please read more about the study here.
