To the Editor: The issue of cancer overdiagnosis highlighted by Glasziou and colleagues1 is not new. The problem lies in how clinicians translate caution into the care of individual patients.
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1. Glasziou PP, Jones MA, Pathirana T, et al. Estimating the magnitude of cancer overdiagnosis in Australia. Med J Aust 2020; 212: 163–168. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2020/212/4/estimating-magnitude-cancer-overdiagnosis-australia
- 2. Beral V, Peto R, Pirie K, Reeves G. Menopausal hormone therapy and 20 year breast cancer mortality. Lancet 2019; 394: 1139.
- 3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Breast screen Australia monitoring report 2018 [Cancer series 112; Cat. No. CAN116]. Canberra: AIHW, 2018. https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/c28cd408-de89-454f-9dd0-ee99e9163567/aihw-can-116.pdf.aspx?inline=true (viewed Mar 2020).
- 4. Haugen BR, Alexander EK, Bible KC, et al. 2015 American Thyroid Association management guidelines for adult patients with thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancer: the American Thyroid Association Guidelines Task Force on Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer. Thyroid 2016; 26: 1–133.
- 5. McLeod DSA, Zhang L, Durante C, Cooper DS. Contemporary debates in adult papillary thyroid cancer management. Endocr Rev 2019; 40: 1481–1499.
- 6. Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Endocrine Society of Australia. EVOLVE programme: top 5 low‐value practices and interventions — recommendation 1. RACP/ESA, 2017. https://evolve.edu.au/recommendations/esa (viewed Mar 2020).
- 7. Grani G, Lamartina L, Ascoli V, et al. Reducing the number of unnecessary thyroid biopsies while improving diagnostic accuracy: toward the “right” TIRADS. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2019; 104: 95–102.
- 8. Lin JF, Jonker PKC, Cunich M, et al. Surgery alone for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma is less costly and more effective than long term active surveillance. Surgery 2020 Jan; 167: 110–116.
Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.
No relevant disclosures.