Do all or most of the existing cancer detection tests involve radioactive measurements? I would hope there would be a less dangerous 'next step' to confirm before moving on to CT scans.
Do all or most of the existing cancer detection tests involve radioactive measurements?
A follow-up test that involves inserting an instrument into a patient's body to gather a biopsy sample is also invasive. For a disease that has a high risk of early death AND CAN BE TREATED AFTER EARLY DETECTION, a rather invasive test can be justified. If the test result doesn't matter (it doesn't detect an important problem, or the problem it detects is an unsolvable problem), there is less justification for the test.
Good write-ups about the risks and benefits of medical screening[1] can be found at the Science-Based Medicine website, one of my favorite sites for discussion of medical research findings.
