Should I Be Tested for Cancer?

"I have long been a fan of Dr. Welch's research and his considerable insight into the dilemma of disease screening. I'm profoundly grateful that he has now made this information available to everyone in an easy-to-read, practical book. Should I Be Tested for Cancer? is a must-read for every doctor and patient in this country."--Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom"I did not think it possible to bring such a dry topic to life, but Dr. Welch has done it. He writes wonderfully well. For anyone interested in cancer screening or preventive medicine, this book is a page-turner. It will be a rare person--layperson or health professional--whose perspective is not changed by reading this provocative book."--Alfred Berg, M.D., M.P.H., Chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force"Dr. Welch has performed an invaluable public service. Whatever the successes of the nation's 'war on cancer, ' too many people now believe it's always in their best interest to detect the disease early and rout it, regardless of the costs. This book will inject reason and good sense into an arena of medical decision making often dominated by hype and fear."--Susan Dentzer, Health Correspondent, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

Getting tested to detect cancer early is one of the best ways to stay healthy - or is it? In this book, a nationally recognized expert on early cancer detection challenges one of medicine's most widely accepted beliefs: that the best defense against cancer is to always try to catch it early.

Acknowledgments Introduction: The conventional wisdom about cancer testing and what this book is about PART I. PROBLEMS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT 1. It is unlikely that you will benefit 2. You may have a "cancer scare" and face an endless cycle of testing 3. You may receive unnecessary treatment 4. You may find a cancer you would rather not know about 5. Your pathologist may say it's cancer, while others say it's not 6. Your doctor may get distracted from other issues that are more important to you PART II. BECOMING A BETTER-EDUCATED CONSUMER 7. Understand the culture of medicine (and why we are pushed to test) 8. Understand the statistics of cancer (and why five-year survival is the world's most misleading number) 9. Understand the limits to research even genetic research (and why it is hard to be sure there really are benefits to screening) 10. Develop a strategy that works for you Appendix: Summary of cancers discussed in this book Glossary Notes Index