Cancers – Page 2 – OncWonk – Dr Bier's Oncology Research Reviews

Prevalence, Long-term Development, and Predictors of Psychosocial Consequences of False-Positive Mammography among Women Attending Population-Based Screening

March 15, 2026

| Cancer - Breast, Mammography - Mammogram, Screening

Comment: This is another paper solidifying the serious cost of a common issue with screening mammograms – the high rate of false positives. When comparing healthy women subjected to a false positive against those with normal screens, the recalled cohort faced massive initial spikes in dejection (OR 15.52) and anxiety (OR 11.09). While it is […]

Psychological distress in U.S. women who have experienced false-positive mammograms

March 15, 2026

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| Cancer - Breast, Mammography - Mammogram, Screening

Comment: A true risk-benefit analysis of any intervention should take into account all of the risks, including the psycho-emotional. This cross-sectional study is another that highlights the stark conflict between the conventional narrative of risk-free surveillance and the documented reality of its psychiatric fallout. We know from other studies that I’ve reviewed of the significant […]

Long-term psychosocial consequences of false-positive screening mammography: a cohort study with follow-up of 12–14 years in Denmark

March 15, 2026

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| Cancer - Breast, Mammography - Mammogram, Screening

Comment: There are multiple studies in the literature showing lasting psychological damage from a false positive mammogram requiring a follow-up to establish that it’s benign, but this one is notable for the longest follow-up period. For those advocating screening, the reality is that the resulting false alarms inflict decade-long psychological damage. Knowing that 20% to […]

The Effect of False-positive Mammograms on Antidepressant and Anxiolytic Initiation

March 14, 2026

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| Cancer - Breast, Mammography - Mammogram, Screening

Comment: We should assess risk and benefits of any intervention not only by the physical impact, but by the measurable psychological damage it inflicts. The claims data analysis highlights the conflict between the medical establishment’s routine dismissal of a false-positive mammogram as a benign inconvenience and the structural reality that it actively drives patients toward […]

DRAFT FOR COMMENT – Mammography Informed Consent – DO NOT USE

March 14, 2026

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| Cancer - Breast, Mammography - Mammogram, Screening

Key Information: What You Should Know Before Your Mammogram This summary helps you learn about breast screening using a mammogram (an X-ray picture of the breast). It can help you decide if you want to have this screening. Please read this entire booklet or have someone read it with you. Primary Purpose: The goal of […]

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Management of Breast Cancer

March 8, 2026

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| Cancer - Breast, Supplements, Treatments – Integrative

Comment: If you’ve been reading any of my reviews, you know I always focus on Overall Survival as the most important metric, and this study does just that, and shows a shockingly high risk of death for those who use CAM, whether alone or with conventional treatment. The headline of the study is extremely concerning, […]

Effect of mammographic screening from age 40 years on breast cancer mortality (UK Age trial): final results of a randomised, controlled trial

March 6, 2026

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| Cancer - Breast, Mammography - Mammogram, Screening

Comment: Finding more cancer is only a medical triumph if the patient actually survives longer as a result. This updated to the UK Age trial in women aged 40 to 49 shows that it fails to improve overall survival. While proponents focus on a temporary, early reduction in breast cancer mortality only (not overall survival), […]

Comparison of Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasound and Mammography in Detecting Breast Cancer in Radiographically Dense Breasts

March 1, 2026

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| Cancer - Breast, Mammography - Mammogram, Screening

Comment: All diagnostic imaging, and really all lab testing, is a series of calculated structural trade-offs – sensitivity vs specificity. In the case of mammograms, it is physiological absurd to rely solely on X-ray transmission to find tumors buried within dense fibroglandular tissue inthat it fundamentally fails to “see” through BI-RADS D breasts. In extremely […]

Diagnostic performance of mammography and ultrasound in breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

March 1, 2026

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| Cancer - Breast, Mammography - Mammogram, Screening

Comment: Whenever possible, I actively steer patients toward ultrasound to bypass the cumulative risks of routine mammographic radiation. Yet, the central tension in evaluating this diagnostic meta-analysis is the stark conflict between the modality’s physical safety profile and the systemic diagnostic hazard it creates. The authors demonstrate that ultrasound delivers a staggering 94% per-lesion sensitivity, […]

Usefulness of free PSA ratio to enhance detection of clinically significant prostate cancer in patients with PI-RADS<3 and PSA≤10

February 28, 2026

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| Cancer - Prostate, Screening

Comment: I have used the free PSA ratio (%fPSA) for years because it provides a reliable, cost-effective method to triage patients hovering in the PSA gray zone without immediately resorting to invasive procedures. Despite it being clear in the literature for decades, it is rare that I see it being used. The relatively recent availability […]