‘Unnecessary’ diagnosis of low-risk or non-growing cancers is a substantial problem, research shows
Almost 30,000 cancers are over-diagnosed in Australia each year, chiefly as a result of early detection programmes, causing unnecessary anxiety and expense, a national study led by Bond University in Queensland has found.
It estimates that in 2012, 22 per cent of breast cancers for women and 42 per cent of prostate cancers among men were over-diagnosed.