Clipping Board » Medical Harm ─ Unnecessary or inappropriate medical procedures can also cause harm.
Awakening News Updated: 2010/04/06 18:07
By Lin Yi-hsiu [Taiwan Awakening News Reporter Lin Yi-hsiu]
High price doesn’t always mean high quality, and the same goes for health check-ups! Dr. Huang Da-fu, President of Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center, stated that the recent trend of expensive health examinations is not actually endorsed by the international cancer medical community. While high-priced check-ups may detect issues that ordinary equipment cannot, confirming a diagnosis often requires more invasive tests for patients. This not only subjects them to unnecessary suffering but may also lead to complications, ultimately proving counterproductive.
Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center celebrated its 20th anniversary today. President Huang Da-fu led the medical team to attend the press conference for the new book *Big Secrets of Cancer: 65 Questions Doctors Really Want to Answer and You Really Want to Ask*. The book addresses common misconceptions among cancer patients, and Huang expressed his hope that the public could gain a more accurate understanding of cancer through it.
Regarding the high-priced health check-ups recently promoted by major medical centers, Huang noted that the international oncology community does not support this approach. "Using extremely expensive equipment to identify a small number of cancer patients actually consumes a significant amount of social resources."
He gave an example: early-stage lung cancer is difficult to detect. If 10,000 high-risk individuals undergo spiral computed tomography (CT) scans, about 700 might show suspected lung cancer. To confirm the diagnosis, these 700 individuals would need invasive tests like biopsies, but ultimately, only around 30 might be confirmed as having cancer. However, during invasive procedures like biopsies, complications such as pneumothorax may occur, requiring hospitalization and intubation. For the majority of "suspected" patients who do not actually have cancer, high-end health check-ups are indeed more trouble than they’re worth.
While advanced equipment can detect issues that ordinary instruments cannot, it is intended for patients already diagnosed with cancer, not for the general public in good health. Medical centers heavily promoting high-end health check-ups are essentially using them as a profit-driven strategy.
So how can the general public achieve "early detection, early treatment"? Huang suggested that basic routine check-ups are sufficient, "but they should still be supervised and interpreted by a physician."
He emphasized that health check-up items should be selected based on personal lifestyle habits and family medical history, rather than indiscriminately opting for every test available. "For example, only those with a family history of colorectal cancer need colonoscopies, and smokers should be more vigilant about lung cancer." Huang stressed the importance of implementing the concept of a "family doctor"—building a good relationship with a familiar physician who can provide personalized recommendations based on individual habits or family history. This, he said, is the correct approach to cancer prevention.
Source: http:/ / www. awakeningtw. com/ a……center/ show. php? itemid=12940
Costly and Harmful: High-End Health Checks Offer Little Value
By Lin Yi-hsiu [Taiwan Awakening News Reporter Lin Yi-hsiu]
High price doesn’t always mean high quality, and the same goes for health check-ups! Dr. Huang Da-fu, President of Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center, stated that the recent trend of expensive health examinations is not actually endorsed by the international cancer medical community. While high-priced check-ups may detect issues that ordinary equipment cannot, confirming a diagnosis often requires more invasive tests for patients. This not only subjects them to unnecessary suffering but may also lead to complications, ultimately proving counterproductive.
Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center celebrated its 20th anniversary today. President Huang Da-fu led the medical team to attend the press conference for the new book *Big Secrets of Cancer: 65 Questions Doctors Really Want to Answer and You Really Want to Ask*. The book addresses common misconceptions among cancer patients, and Huang expressed his hope that the public could gain a more accurate understanding of cancer through it.
Regarding the high-priced health check-ups recently promoted by major medical centers, Huang noted that the international oncology community does not support this approach. "Using extremely expensive equipment to identify a small number of cancer patients actually consumes a significant amount of social resources."
He gave an example: early-stage lung cancer is difficult to detect. If 10,000 high-risk individuals undergo spiral computed tomography (CT) scans, about 700 might show suspected lung cancer. To confirm the diagnosis, these 700 individuals would need invasive tests like biopsies, but ultimately, only around 30 might be confirmed as having cancer. However, during invasive procedures like biopsies, complications such as pneumothorax may occur, requiring hospitalization and intubation. For the majority of "suspected" patients who do not actually have cancer, high-end health check-ups are indeed more trouble than they’re worth.
While advanced equipment can detect issues that ordinary instruments cannot, it is intended for patients already diagnosed with cancer, not for the general public in good health. Medical centers heavily promoting high-end health check-ups are essentially using them as a profit-driven strategy.
So how can the general public achieve "early detection, early treatment"? Huang suggested that basic routine check-ups are sufficient, "but they should still be supervised and interpreted by a physician."
He emphasized that health check-up items should be selected based on personal lifestyle habits and family medical history, rather than indiscriminately opting for every test available. "For example, only those with a family history of colorectal cancer need colonoscopies, and smokers should be more vigilant about lung cancer." Huang stressed the importance of implementing the concept of a "family doctor"—building a good relationship with a familiar physician who can provide personalized recommendations based on individual habits or family history. This, he said, is the correct approach to cancer prevention.
Source: http:/ / www. awakeningtw. com/ a……center/ show. php? itemid=12940