Is it worth it for your elders to get cancer screening? Risks that doctors don’t tell you about

Dr. Louise Walter, director of geriatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, said doctors should prioritize practices that benefit patients’ health. For many elderly patients, cancer screening is not an urgent need. He said: “Instead of wasting time and money on things that are harmful to patients, it is better to use time and energy to help them live longer and more comfortably.”

Walter said, for example, he might tell a patient, “You have a serious heart failure problem, we need to get that under control.” He said many older people have other urgent issues that need attention, including preventing falls, dealing with depression, and relieving stress. “These are the things that can quickly help them improve their lives.”

Know the pros and cons before undergoing cancer screening and treatment

Screening or treatment for the elderly may cause some harm, and patients and families should do their homework beforehand to understand these risks.

Colon cancer: Colonoscopies can cause complications, such as intestinal tears. Many older people also become dehydrated or pass out during colonoscopies (which require a complete bowel cleanse).

Prostate cancer: According to surveys, about 6% of people become infected after prostate biopsy following PSA testing, and about 1% of them are sent to the hospital for treatment.

Breast cancer: Virtually all older women with breast cancer who have surgery are more miserable afterward, Sheinberg said. Many are treated with hormone therapy, which causes bone pain, fatigue and an increased risk of stroke.

Non-fatal skin cancer: Some elderly people have problems with surgery for non-fatal skin cancer. Data show that more than a quarter of patients with non-fatal skin cancer experience complications after surgery. Moreover, most of the 2.5 million slow-growing skin cancer patients diagnosed each year are over the age of 65, and more than 100,000 of these non-fatal skin cancer patients die within a year after treatment.

Additionally, screening, follow-up, and treatment can be emotionally traumatic.

For example, older women, said Dr. Sei Lee, an associate professor of geriatrics at the University of California, San Francisco: “Women of that generation cannot understand these examinations, and they may be very upset and disturbed to have their private parts exposed to the machine and squeezed.”

About 70 percent of older women find it stressful to have their tissue sliced, Shenberger said. Women with severe arthritis find it painful just to lie on the table for 45 minutes while having their tissue sliced, she said.