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Beating Cancer: Does Early Detection Help?
For more than 30 years, government health organizations and the cancer societies have pushed the idea that early detection and treatment increases your odds of surviving cancer. The messages are everywhere. They urge us to check for prostate, breast, colon, skin cancer and more.
Logically, it makes sense that the earlier you discover a cancer, the more likely you will be alive in five years. This has driven millions of people to their doctors’ offices for screening and it has poured billions of dollars into the coffers of the cancer industry.
But does it save lives? And do the risks outweigh the benefits? Apparently, the answer to both of those questions is no.
The studies show that people are not living longer after they get cancer. While they might live longer after their diagnosis, that is because we are diagnosing the disease much earlier. In fact, the age-adjusted mortality rates for all forms of cancer combined have steadily increased over several decades. Orthodox medicine is losing the war on cancer.
In the last month, the British government’s National Health Service (NHS) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) both have stated that they are updating their public health messages regarding cancer screening.
For decades, these organizations were among the staunchest defenders of screening. The organizations now admit that they overstated the benefits of screening. Even worse, they intentionally downplayed the risks.
In a New York Times article, Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society states that, “American medicine has overpromised when it comes to screening. The advantages to screening have been exaggerated.”
In the U.K., Dr. Joan Austoker is the person who writes the advice the National Health Service provides to women about breast cancer screening. She recently told The Sunday Times that it was “a mistake to withhold information from women” that treatment for a particular type of cancer might be unnecessary. You think?
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These organizations are softening their stance because the facts have become too blatant to ignore. The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published an analysis showing that early stage breast cancer diagnoses have doubled. Yet, the number of cancers that have spread elsewhere in the body has barely budged.
The cancer organizations are also finally beginning to acknowledge the risks of cancer screening. You might wonder the “risks” could be. After all, isn’t it a good idea to know if there is a health concern you should worry about?
First, there is the risk of “false positives.” Take breast cancer, for example. For every 1,000 healthy women who undergo annual mammograms for 10 years, half of them will receive a false positive result.
Being told that you could have only months or a few years to live can be devastating. It can cause family distress and deep depression. Desperate for a solution, many women opt for treatment. Conventional treatment – like chemotherapy and radiation – is costly and debilitating. In the case of mastectomies, it can be also be painful and disfiguring – and all of that for a problem which did not exist in the first place.
The other major risk is over-diagnosis. This is when doctors treat small lesions or innocuous tumors as if they could be imminently deadly. We now know that in most cases, these “cancers” would not spread or cause harm.
Breast cancer screening is rife with over-diagnosis. Research shows that for every one life saved by breast cancer screening, 10 healthy women receive unnecessary treatment.
And while the American Cancer Society continues to states that a mammogram is “one of the best things a woman can do to protect her health,” the facts suggest otherwise. To avert just one death from breast cancer, doctors must screen 1,000 women ages 50 and older for 10 years.
The statistics are similar for prostate cancer. For every 100 men that are diagnosed with the disease, as many as 70 have cancers that would never have harmed them, if left untreated. The Agency for Healthcare Policy Research produced evidence showing that men who had their prostate gland removed had an average survival of 14 years after surgery. That sounds great – until you consider that the men who elected “watchful waiting” instead of surgery, also lived an average of 14 years after diagnosis.
Despite these statistics, hundreds of thousands of men each year are subjected to aggressive treatments that often leave them with impotence, urinary incontinence and depression.
The same trends are evident with skin cancer. According to a Dartmouth Medical School study, skin biopsies have risen by 250 percent since 1986. However, during the same period, there was no change in the melanoma death rate or the incidence of advanced stage melanoma.
Renowned dermatologist, Dr. A. Bernard Ackerman, emeritus director of the Ackerman Academy of Dermatopathology in New York believes dermatologists have gone too far. “There has been a mania for taking off these moles that are of no consequence,” he said. “We’re talking about billions and billions of dollars, based on hype.”
The over-diagnosis and over-treatment of early stage cancers clearly leads to a huge number of unnecessary procedures. However, it also leads to a false sense progress in the war on cancer.
We are now diagnosing cancer at a much earlier stage. And by adding these very early cancers to the data pool, the number of “five year cancer survivors” grows. That makes it appear that cancer patients are living longer. However, it is a delusion to equate longer survival rates after diagnosis to progress. What matters is the number of actual deaths. And most forms of early-detection and treatment have not reduced that number.
It is clear that early detection, combined with conventional cancer treatments just are not working. And this has been clear for quite some time. In May of 1986, the New England Journal of Medicine commented on the state of modern cancer treatment, stating, “The main conclusion we draw is that some 35 years of intense effort focused on improving treatment must be judged a qualified failure.”
Their report concluded, “we are losing the war against cancer” and argued for an emphasis on prevention. Here we are, nearly 25 years later and that emphasis is still not there.
According to the International Agency for Research in Cancer, our lifestyle and environment is the cause of up to 90% of human cancer. That clearly means that we can avoid it. Yet, less than 10% of the National Cancer Institute budget is set aside to study the environmental causes of cancer. Less than 1% is budgeted for nutrition studies.
Why?
Because treating disease is enormously profitable. Preventing it is not. And whether the “screening” involves cancer, cholesterol, diabetes, or any number of other markers and diseases, the objective is the same. The goal is not to “prevent” disease. The goal of orthodox medicine is to detect the symptoms earlier so that more “treatments” can be given.
This does not mean that screening and early detection cannot be useful. It can be. However, it should be a serious wake up call to change your lifestyle, your environment and your diet. It should be a stark reminder to avoid the causes of illness and disease and do more of the things proven to prevent and successfully treat that disease. We must accept responsibility for our own health.
To Your Great Health,
Editor
Total Health Breakthroughs
Editor’s Note: Contrary to what we have been told, we are NOT winning the war on cancer. In fact, rates of this terrible disease are rising at a frightening rate across the globe. Even worse, the long-standing, conventional anti-cancer methods (cut, poison, and burn) are “holding actions” at best – and signify the failure of mainstream medicine to really address our health needs and heal cancer.
In future issues of Total Health Breakthroughs, we will talk about the real causes of cancer. We will show you how to avoid them. And we will introduce you to the many nutrients and natural medicines that have been shown to effectively prevent and treat this dreaded disease.
In the meantime, I encourage you to pick up a copy of Tomorrow’s Cancer Cures TODAY, by Allen Spreen, M.D., expert panelist for the Health Sciences Institute.
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This is a wonderful summary of all the bits and pieces that we have had -Thanks
As a Counsellor I absolutely agree with these statements.
The war on cancer (just the name of it) is enough to terrify
people into depression or brutalising therapy.
We desperately need to get these statistics you mention out
into the ‘ordinary’ world - not just to health professionals, and health conscious readers. The amount of people I see
in the community who know nothing about all this and who are
fronting up for terrible therapies - with little result - is all around us.
Somehow we have to get on radio, give talks in local community halls, whatever it takes to interact with the
‘average’ guy and girl out there - and help save another life. Also teach them prevention and stop the Big Medic and Pharma coffers overflowing with money any further!!
I saw my first cancer sufferer when I was 8 years old -
my mother. We went to Europe for this NEW treatment, stayed for 3 months, Father paid a lot of money out.
BUT - we still lost her….. this changed everything.
Years and years later when I came out to Australia I managed to help save the life of my ‘adopted mum’ with alternative medicine. Only because I knew so much more
about health.
Keep at it THB BUT ALSO FIND OTHER WAYS TO GET THE MESSAGE
OUT AS WELL
jACQUI
Dear Sir,
I think you are mistaken! Do I understand this article to inform me, that I should have longer wait years, in be tween! ANY type of cancer check ups?
If yes, do you realize, that 10 years ago, when we were stationed in Lisbon, Portugal’s NATO cmd, courtsey our US Navy. Our medical care was via the Brits stationed there & the dental care was via the Americans stationed there.
Amazingly,! ! the Americans were scheduled (I forget the exact years) but for example, American women were told to have their PAP smears performed EVERY 3 years, whilst British women were informed, they would be schelded (sp?) to have this exam every 5 years.
Gee, folks, I wonder why the difference in care. SAME with Mamograms - a time diff. Now, years later, when the socialized meds idea is trying to come across the pond to USA! I now understand why, the diff - M O N E Y!
Rationing, etc, etc.
Therefore, I beg to differ & say out loud I think you & this article are incorrect. I also wonder from WHERE are you receiving your funding? As in the thought - Follow the Money.
May I also add, the rumor re: Brits are no-tor-rious! (sp?) for having bad teeth is TRUE!
Again, Gee, I wonder why? if their health care is so grand! If you dont believe me, then LOOK at the person talking, next time you see a Brit on tv, & the person is just a regular guy or gal!
Thank you for reading Buster, Norfolk, VA! USA
7 years ago I had a sore throat that didn’t get worse or better –I had it checked and got a MRI and discovered I had squamus cell(sp)cancer that had gone from my toncil to 4 limpnodes–the Doctors acted quickly and I went through 35 treatments of radiation (burn) 8 treatments of chemo (poison) They didn’t cut me thankfully–my point is I have been cancer free for over 6 years and early detection and treatment did work for me–now I eat better and work out and hope to go well beyond my 58 years
It’s a shame that we don’t investigate more alternative treatments. An acquaintance of mine just went through quadruple bypass. He never looked at anything else. The least he could have done was look at Linus Pauling’s heart treatments. It’s very successful. But no, the doc says cut, and so they cut. The problem is, the problem is still there. But I’m sure he’ll take statins and go on a low fat diet. Of course, this will only harm him more. It just really breaks my heart.
Cancer is a fungal disease, Look at Dr.Simoncini’s website http://www.cancerfungus.com (99% cure rate in 20 years) Look at http://www.knowthecause.com get the book “The Germ That Causes Cancer”. As you will see Dr. Simoncini’s approach is very different from Dr Holland’s but they both treat cancer as a fungus.
Know the Cause is a website and TV show,(5 shows a week), devoted to the causes of health problems. Most all health problems have a fungal component.
Richard
At last some commonsense facts to counteract what we have been fed by the media for so long and suffered from as a result of governmental drives for more, and yet more, money to be spent on screening.
It’s so easy to distort statistics and make people believe that by taking immediate action a situation will be resolved, and that inaction equates to an ‘uncaring’ attitude on the part of the health services. So many of my clients are scared witless by false or faulty screening results - the power of being told such ‘facts’ by someone in a perceived position of authority cannot be underestimated.
Cancer and diabetes are really self inflicted diseases for the most part. That being the case when they occur a drastic change in lifestyle and eating habits are proven medicines. Not cure alls but effective medicines all by themselves.
I’m having difficulty with this one…I fully support (and use) alternative and nutritional medicine,and YES the false positives are a problem. Surely tho…if there is a false positive this must lead to further investigation before cutting and chemistry occurs??..eg breast cancer is in my family and I buckle and have a yearly mammo. One day I got the dreaded call back, 2 lumps.I spent half a day and 3 non-invasive tests and 1 needle biopsy. I left that day knowing I was clear. Due to late diagnosis…the others have not been so fortunate. Yet I believe a lot of the reason I have not been touched is because I have educated (knowledge) myself in by using sites such as THB, and practice diligent supplementing and diet (prevention)..but if all this fails because of a short straw in the gene pool…I hope it’ll be a “drat! how inconvenient” .. not a death sentence.. because of early detection.
Of course proposing common sense is still in league with hearsay but, there are numerous studies that show cancer (and other diseases) to have their basis in nutritional deficiencies. Chemotherapy destroys the immune system leaving. Cutting rarely removes all cancer cells which then go on to other sites. Ozone/Oxygen therapy is one inexpensive treatment that has (hearsay again) shown great promise. There are many other treatments that could be utilized but are prohibited by government organizations from being utilized or even discussed for fear of losing a licence to practice. The bottom line seems to be MONEY (for the drug companies and for lobbying the government).
Cancer is getting worse, so is ADD, autism, MS, heart disease. At least we are avoiding that dreaded sunshine and using a lot of sunscreen. Wait- could there be a connection? There is- Vitamin D- low levels cause all of the above. See vitamindcouncil.org. And selenium, iodine are two other major factors. See donaldmiller.com. Years ago I saw a book Selenium and Cancer- in a medical library- their conclusion- if anything is added to water it should be selenium it is so important. Yet we add fluoride a deadly poison and carcinogen. More hype- it doesn’t help teeth- good nutrition does. Same for flu shots- ZERO reduction in deaths in elderly- it’s the “healthy patient effect” recently proven. Again good nutrition. The healthy ones get the flu shot. On and on and on.
Vitally important information. I practice preventive methods. I lost a beloved parent to cancer many years ago, and had I known more at the time it might have helped. However, I also had a good friend who, on hearing a diagnosis of the dreaded Big C, went to alternative practitioners and, for five years, carefully followed their recommendations. By then, the tumor had grown huge and proliferated. She died. So I think this is a complicated subject, and a lot more needs to be learned.
You are looking at the person that always took care of her health. Health pro, good diet, exercised etc.. and alot of them are doing what they are supposed to be doing and they are getting cancer. Therefore do not put them all in the same box and target them as if they had done something wrong. Let them be, and always always give words of wisdom but do not forget that life itself sends curves no matter what the diet or supplements or herbal medicine one takes
Yes there are several factors at play, rarely is there a single one. A holistic approach is needed, that includes the mind, body and spirit. Greg Anderson wrote some books on this and I heard him speak. He survived by interviewing hundereds of survivors and doing what they did, which was several things.
your article is wonderful and eye opener to millions of people out there seeking solutions to this life threatnen ailment. one thing we have to learn is that panicking rush to orthodox medicine cannot solve our problem. we have to spend more time on prevetion rather than cure.
Ultrasounds picks up cancer sooner than Mammograms and Colonoscopies. It even picks up cancer in the Pancreas. If there is cancer in the family history have it done from the age of 40 years old.
I believe that the idea of prevention is the most important idea to date in the cure of cancer and other illnes. the problem with prevention is that the ways to prevent would have a significant effect on the world ecomomy. People would need to stop eating the junk food that they eat ( affecting the large food companiies like Kellogs and Kraft) stop drinking soft drinks( affecting sales in Coke and Pepesi) and living a more wholistic life with their enviroment. Sounds like a good idea,but would mean a change of our world ecomony as we know it. It is easier to have more people die of cancer and other illness. We cannot have our cake and eat it too. I think individuals will have to start taking real responsiblity for their own health and then we willl see a change.
dear sir. thank you for your article. i will appreciate if you support your points with statistics. really i think early detection will contribute though nothing to support. actually we should go back to God,s advice to us humans on what we should eat found in Leviticus11 and practice some form of healthy lifestyle. please give detailed information on the alternative aspect. thank you. O.A. Nigeria.
I have just been reading about Qigong. It starts off about it being free, than it tells how much it is toward the end of the report. It is like all doctors books that do not give the remedy unless we pay money to buy the books. It is so very sad that the love of money is the root of evil. So people suffer longer as a result.