Cleveland Clinic Commentary for Cancer Screening
/Personalizing guideline-driven cancer screening
Gautam Mankaney, MD Carol A. Burke, MD, FACG, FACP, FASGE
Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine (Commentary)
Reports of cancer date back thousands of years to Egyptian texts. Its existence baffled scientists until the 1950s, when Watson, Crick, and Franklin discovered the structure of DNA, laying the groundwork for identifying the genetic pathways leading to cancer. Currently, cancer is a leading global cause of death and the second leading cause of death in the United States.
In an effort to curtail cancer and its related morbidity and mortality, population-based screening programs have been implemented with tests that identify precancerous lesions and, preferably, early-stage rather than late-stage cancer.
Screening for cancer can lead to early diagnosis and prevent death from cancer, but the topic continues to provoke controversy.
