Taking advantage of incidental findings

In this study, researchers compared the results of mammograms with CT scans of the coronary arteries. They found that there was a good correlation between the finding of calcium-laden blood vessels on mammograms and finding calcium deposits in the coronary arteries. If future research confirms this link — and, more importantly, if these mammographic findings lead to preventive measures or treatments that lower the incidence of heart attacks, strokes, and premature cardiovascular-related deaths — mammography could become a common screening test for both breast cancer and cardiovascular disease. “Incidentalomas”: More troublesome than helpful? The finding of an “incidentaloma” — an abnormal finding that wasn’t the abnormality that a test was intended to find — poses challenges to doctors and their patients. The simple truth is this: it’s hard to know what to do with something you find when it wasn’t what you were looking for, especially when no one is sure if what you found is useful. This problem is not a new one. As imaging tests such as CT scans and MRIs have improved and become commonplace, more and more people are dealing with the uncertainty of the “abnormal shadow,” a lump or a nodule that’s of uncertain importance. A recent example is lung cancer screening by chest CT for smokers: about 25% have non-cancerous abnormalities (“false-positive” results) detected. Of course, patients and their doctors only know for sure that the abnormality is...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Health care Tests and procedures Source Type: news