Cancer screening costs $43 billion – what do we get for that spending?
A new study estimates that the five most common cancer screenings cost $43 billion in 2021. How exactly was this money spent and where might it have gone instead? More
How one Medicare Advantage insurer made billions from overdiagnosis
UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest health care company, is under fire for allegedly encouraging clinicians to overdiagnose peripheral artery disease in their Medicare Advantage patients to inflate profits. What does Lown data have to say about this situation? More
Update: The benefits and harms of earlier screening for breast cancer
The USPSTF just finalized their recommendation to lower the screening age for breast cancer from 50 to 40. What are the potential harms and benefits? More
Study finds racial disparities in low-value care, even within the same health systems
Are Black patients at higher or lower risk of overuse? A new study reveals how patterns of low-value differ by race in the Medicare population. More
How AI-powered cancer screening could impact overuse
AI-supported cancer screenings have the potential to reduce false positives ...but they could also exacerbate overdiagnosis. More
Does cancer screening help us live longer?
Cancer screenings save lives, right? It's actually more complicated than that... More
Earlier screening for breast cancer: Benefits and harms
The USPSTF just lowered the recommended screening age for breast cancer from 50 to 40. What were the reasons for this change and what are the potential harms and benefits? More
Balancing prevention and overdiagnosis in skin cancer screening
A recent editorial published in JAMA Dermatology discussed the balance between prevention and overdiagnosis of skin cancer. This comes in response to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluding for the fourth time in a row that visual skin cancer screening has insufficient evidence to support its population-wide benefit. How do we know when we’ve crossed from prevention to overuse, and is there anything we can do to keep the balance? More
Why are screening colonoscopy recommendations different across countries?
Lown Institute experts explore why routine colonoscopy is recommended in the US but not in other countries. More
New FDA guidelines on breast density notifications and implications for overuse
The FDA just updated guidelines to require mammography facilities to notify patients about their breast density. How will this impact overdiagnosis and overtreatment? More
Imaging overuse: What care cascades may cost you
Two recent studies show the high cost patients face from unnecessary imaging and follow up events. More
Real-world test of colonoscopy screening program shows cancer reduction but no mortality benefit
How can mortality be reduced by colonoscopies but not by a colonoscopy screening program? We break down the results from the groundbreaking NordICC trial. More
Should Medicare cover blood tests for cancer screening?
Congress is considering having Medicare fund blood screening tests, also known as liquid biopsies. Could this lead to cascade events and medical overuse? More
Should prostate cancer screening guidelines differ by race?
Should we recommend earlier prostate cancer screening for Black men, who have a higher risk of prostate cancer mortality? We examine the pros and cons of this question raised by a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine. More
A big downside of MRI for breast cancer screening: More cascade events
As MRI has become a more popular screening tool for women at low or average risk of cancer, researchers caution that one MRI can easily "cascade" into more medical medical services and diagnoses More
3D mammograms aren’t the solution to false positives in breast cancer screening
One of the big selling points of 3D mammograms is their potential to reduce false positive results. However, a new study shows that 3D mammograms don't reduce false positives as much as you would think. More
Some cancer centers don’t follow evidence-based guidelines for prostate screening
In America's cancer centers, where many patients go for specialized cancer treatment, prostate screening policies do not always align with evidence-based recommendations. More
As many as 25% of screening colonoscopies are unnecessary, study finds
As many as 25% of screening colonoscopies are not consistent with national guidelines, according to a recent systematic review. More
Despite new technology to detect afib, we still don’t know if screening helps
Will devices like the Apple Watch that continuously monitor heart rhythm reduce rates of stroke? The evidence still isn't there, the USPSTF finds. More
Infant health disparities won’t be fixed with genetic sequencing
Should we even be investing in genetic sequencing for newborns when there is are crises in infant and maternal health that need our attention? More