2.0 Contents2.1 Overdiagnosis: A Common Problem in Many Screening TestsMany health screening tests tend to produce false positive results or detect abnormalities that may not cause any harm to the patient. This can cause distress to patients and their families and lead to unnecessary care. For example, about 6 to 10 percent of mammogram results are false positives, meaning the images show what appear to be tumors but are actually cysts or harmless tissue. This estimate may be higher in younger women, as young women have denser breast tissue that can be difficult to scan compared to women over 50, whose breasts are composed primarily of fatty tissue (Geraci, Gordon, Gower, Harrar & Paturel, 2008). . Screening for dementia produces even more inaccurate results: 23% of results are false positives. So, even if a patient received a positive test result, the chances of them having dementia are very low – only about 17%. The generation of such false positive results causes unnecessary suffering to patients and their families (McCartney, 2014). Additionally, generating positive results often leads to further testing and subsequent treatment. In cases where positive results are actually false, the patient may end up undergoing unnecessary testing and treatment (“When to Tell,” 2012; Dixon, 2013; McCartney, 2014). Breast cancer screening is a notable example: Because mammograms tend to find tumors whose effects cannot be immediately analyzed, doctors simply treat all tumors, regardless of whether they are cancerous or not. Such treatments often involve mastectomy and radiation therapy, both of which can indirectly harm the patient. If the tumor detected is cancerous, such risks are wo...... half of the article ......aim.htmlGeraci, R., Gordon, D., Gower, T., Harrar, S. & Paturel , A. (2008). What works, what doesn't. Pleasantville, NY: Reader's Digest. McCartney, M. (2014, January 3). Patients deserve the truth: Health screening can do more harm than good. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2014/jan/03/patients-truth-health-screening-harm-goodMonastyrsky, K. (n.d.). Side effects of screening colonoscopies. Retrieved from http://www.gutsense.org/crc/crc_side_effects.htmlPittman, G. (2013, January 3). Many people are unaware of the radiation risk from CT scans. Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/03/us-many-people-unaware-of-radiation-idUSBRE9020OV20130103When to say "Whoa!" to doctors. (2012, June). Consumer Health Reports. Retrieved from http://consumerhealthchoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ChoosingWiselyWhoaPkg.pdf