Researchers have revealed that Australians are increasingly being diagnosed with potentially harmless cancers, which if left undetected or untreated, may expose them to unnecessary surgeries and chemotherapy. The research, which has been published in the Medical Journal of Australia, draws on data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to compare how the lifetime risk of five cancers had changed between 1982 and 2012.
The study shows that compared to 30 years ago, Australians today are much more likely to experience a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. The figures suggest that in 2012 24 per cent of cancers or carcinomas in men were overdiagnosed and included 42 per cent of prostate cancers, 42 per cent of renal cancers, 73 per cent of thyroid cancers and 58 per cent of melanomas.
For women, 18 per cent of cancers or carcinomas were overdiagnosed, including 22 per cent of breast cancers, 58 per cent of renal cancers, 73 per cent of thyroid cancers and 58 per cent of melanomas. These figures are believed to be significant because of the harm that can occur from cancer treatment of patients who would never have had symptoms in their lifetime. The authors of the study also refer to separate studies showing overdiagnosis could be linked to psychological problems.
