A mammogram is a screening test. 23andMe is another type of screening test. You aren't getting extra mammograms because of 23andMe, they are the same thing.
Mammogram can screen you for early detection of a serious disease. 23andMe can do the same (they advertise - this is what the FDA has a problem with).
More screening for all diseases doesn't mean better outcome, and can be harmful, depending on the test, the people screened, the disease, etc., etc. and can lead to more disease (needless treatment). Throwing more screening at the wall for every disease doesn't do more good all the time. Especially when we learn that some diseases (prostate cancer) cause no symptoms most of the time. Treating these asymptomatic prostate cancers is very harmful, because they are harmless unless they progress. The treatment is risky and has serious side effects (impotence!)
Every time we have a screening test, we have to look at the science. What are we screening for? What is the good? What is the bad? Who is helped? Who is harmed? Do the positives outweigh the negatives?
Another outdated screening tool is the breast self exam - it was found (in scientific studies) it didn't do any good and caused harm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_self-examination) Lots of over treatment without a reduce in cancer rates. Also, just learning about it increases women's worry and anxiety about breast cancer. This is a harmful screening tool. This was studied and abandoned.
----
BRCA test has nothing to do with this example.
Mammograms are currently very common in women a certain age >40 or >50. Most women get them every few years as part of their health maintenance to check for the presence of cancer, tumors or lumps. Right now there is research coming out that is questioning that practice, but the practice hasn't caught up to the research and most doctors say "get your mammogram" without informing patients of the risks, they treat it like it is "all good." That was the point of this research to ask "are we doing the right thing here by screening all these healthy women with mammograms? Let's study that."
I will personally opt out of the mammogram hype when I reach the mammogram age. I'm also going to inform my mother of the current research on the matter, I know she's already had a few mammograms herself.
A mammogram is a screening test. 23andMe is another type of screening test. You aren't getting extra mammograms because of 23andMe, they are the same thing.
Mammogram can screen you for early detection of a serious disease. 23andMe can do the same (they advertise - this is what the FDA has a problem with).
More screening for all diseases doesn't mean better outcome, and can be harmful, depending on the test, the people screened, the disease, etc., etc. and can lead to more disease (needless treatment). Throwing more screening at the wall for every disease doesn't do more good all the time. Especially when we learn that some diseases (prostate cancer) cause no symptoms most of the time. Treating these asymptomatic prostate cancers is very harmful, because they are harmless unless they progress. The treatment is risky and has serious side effects (impotence!)
Every time we have a screening test, we have to look at the science. What are we screening for? What is the good? What is the bad? Who is helped? Who is harmed? Do the positives outweigh the negatives?
Another outdated screening tool is the breast self exam - it was found (in scientific studies) it didn't do any good and caused harm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_self-examination) Lots of over treatment without a reduce in cancer rates. Also, just learning about it increases women's worry and anxiety about breast cancer. This is a harmful screening tool. This was studied and abandoned.
----
BRCA test has nothing to do with this example.
Mammograms are currently very common in women a certain age >40 or >50. Most women get them every few years as part of their health maintenance to check for the presence of cancer, tumors or lumps. Right now there is research coming out that is questioning that practice, but the practice hasn't caught up to the research and most doctors say "get your mammogram" without informing patients of the risks, they treat it like it is "all good." That was the point of this research to ask "are we doing the right thing here by screening all these healthy women with mammograms? Let's study that."
I will personally opt out of the mammogram hype when I reach the mammogram age. I'm also going to inform my mother of the current research on the matter, I know she's already had a few mammograms herself.