USPSTF Recommends Against Screening For Thyroid Cancer In Asymptomatic Adults

KEEPING OUR READERS INFORMED WITH THE LATEST NEWS UPDATES FROM THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. The NPR (5/9, Harris) “Shots” blog reports that the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) now “puts thyroid cancer screening in its don’t-do-it category, in recommendations published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.” According to MedPage Today (5/9, Bassett), the task force “has recommended against screening for thyroid cancer in asymptomatic adults.” Medscape (5/9, Mulcahy) reports, however, that “the new recommendation does not apply to patients with symptoms of thyroid cancer.” HealthDay (5/9, Dallas) reports that although “screening for the disease does increase the number of people diagnosed with thyroid cancer, it doesn’t reduce death rates associated with the disease, the USPSTF concluded.”