Physician Attitudes About Using Life Expectancy to Inform Cancer Screening Cessation in Older Adults—Results From a National Survey
Menée aux Etats-Unis à partir d'une enquête nationale auprès de 1 893 médecins (991 répondants dont 791 éligibles), cette étude analyse leur opinion concernant l'utilisation de l'espérance de vie comme critère de décision pour arrêter le dépistage des cancers chez les personnes âgées
Cancer screening’s benefits typically lag by many years, whereas the harms occur quickly. Guidelines recommend against routine cancer screening when life expectancy is less than 10 years, but many older adults continue to be screened for common cancers. Physicians, however, may disagree with using life expectancy to guide cancer screening cessation. The aim of this study was to examine physicians’ attitudes about using life expectancy as a criterion for stopping cancer screening in older adults.
JAMA Internal Medicine , résumé, 2021