Mass screening

About: Mass screening is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 34508 publications have been published within this topic receiving 1365148 citations.

Consensus conference: Colorectal cancer screening and surveillance in inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract: The idiopathic inflammatory bowel diseases, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's colitis, are associated with an increased risk for developing colorectal cancer. To reduce colorectal cancer mortality in inflammatory bowel disease, most patients and their physicians choose to follow a program of surveillance colonoscopy in an attempt to detect early neoplastic lesions at a curable stage. Colectomy is typically reserved for patients whose biopsy findings are indicative of heightened cancer risk based on interpretation by pathologists. Despite the absence of prospective controlled clinical trials to formally evaluate the benefits, risks, and costs of this approach, enough circumstantial evidence has accrued to warrant its widespread adoption in practice. Nevertheless, no standardized guidelines have yet been set forth to guide the gastroenterologist in performing surveillance. A panel of international experts was assembled to develop consensus recommendations for the performance of surveillance. The findings are presented herein.

Evaluation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Item for Detecting Major Depression Among Adolescents

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the performance characteristics and validity of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Item (PHQ-9) as a screening tool for depression among adolescents. METHODS: The PHQ-9 was completed by 442 youth (aged 13–17 years) who were enrolled in a large health care–delivery system and participated in a study on depression outcomes. Criterion validity and performance characteristics were assessed against an independent structured mental health interview (the Child Diagnostic Interview Schedule [DISC-IV]). Construct validity was tested by examining associations between the PHQ-9 and a self-report measure of functional impairment, as well as parental reports of child psychosocial impairment and internalizing symptoms. RESULTS: A PHQ-9 score of 11 or more had a sensitivity of 89.5% and a specificity of 77.5% for detecting youth who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for major depression on the DISC-IV. Receiver-operator-curve analysis revealed that the PHQ-9 had an area under the curve of 0.88 (95% confidence interval: 0.82–0.94), and the cut point of 11 was optimal for maximizing sensitivity without loss of specificity. Increasing PHQ-9 scores were significantly correlated with increasing levels of functional impairment, as well as parental report of internalizing symptoms and psychosocial problems. CONCLUSIONS: Although the optimal cut point is higher among adolescents, the sensitivity and specificity of the PHQ-9 are similar to those of adult populations. The brief nature and ease of scoring of this instrument make this tool an excellent choice for providers and researchers seeking to implement depression screening in primary care settings.

Lung cancer screening: the Mayo program.

Abstract: The National Cancer Institute has sponsored three randomized controlled trials of screening for early lung cancer in large, high-risk populations to determine whether lung cancer detection can be improved by adding sputum cytological screening every 4 months to chest roentgenography done either yearly or every 4 months; and lung cancer mortality can be significantly reduced by this type of screening program, followed by appropriate treatment. Results of the three trials suggest that sputum cytology alone detects 15% to 20% of lung cancers, almost all of which are squamous cancers with a favorable prognosis; and chest roentgenography may be a more effective test for early-stage lung cancer than previous reports have suggested. Nevertheless, results of the randomized trial conducted at the Mayo Clinic showed that offering both procedures to high-risk outpatients every 4 months conferred no mortality advantage over standard medical practice that included recommended annual testing.

Prevalence, Heritability, and Prospective Risk Factors for Anorexia Nervosa

Abstract: Context Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious mental illness with marked morbidity and mortality. Objective To explore the prevalence, heritability, and prospectively assessed risk factors for AN in a large population-based cohort of Swedish twins. Design During a 4-year period ending in 2002, all living, contactable, interviewable, and consenting twins in the Swedish Twin Registry (N = 31 406) born between January 1, 1935, and December 31, 1958, underwent screening for a range of disorders, including AN. Information collected systematically in 1972 to 1973, before the onset of AN, was used to examine prospective risk factors for AN. Setting Population-based sample of twins in Sweden. Participants Cases of AN were identified as those individuals who met full DSM-IV criteria by means of clinical interview of the Swedish Twin Registry, who had a hospital discharge diagnosis of AN, or who had a cause-of-death certificate including an AN diagnosis. Results The overall prevalence of AN was 1.20% and 0.29% for female and male participants, respectively. The prevalence of AN in both sexes was greater among those born after 1945. Individuals with lifetime AN reported lower body mass index, greater physical activity, and better health satisfaction than those without lifetime AN. Anorexia nervosa was inversely associated with the development of overweight (odds ratio, 0.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16-0.54 [ P DSM-IV AN (additive genetic effects) was estimated to be a 2 = 0.56 (95% CI, 0.00-0.87), with the remaining variance attributable to shared environment (c 2 = 0.05; 95% CI, 0.00-0.64) and unique environment (e 2 = 0.38; 95% CI, 0.13-0.84). Neuroticism measured about 3 decades before the diagnostic assessment was significantly associated with the development of later AN (odds ratio, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.27-2.05 [ P Conclusions The prevalence of AN was higher in both male and female participants born after 1945. Individuals who survive AN and who no longer have body mass indexes in the AN range appear to be at lower risk for the development of overweight. Prospectively assessed neuroticism was associated with the subsequent development of AN, the liability to which is under considerable genetic influence.

Using fetal nuchal translucency to screen for major congenital cardiac defects at 10-14 weeks of gestation: population based cohort study

Abstract: Objectives: To examine the utility of measuring fetal nuchal translucency thickness in screening for major defects of the heart and great arteries at 10-14 weeks of gestation. Design: Population based cohort study. Subjects: 29 154 singleton pregnancies with chromosomally normal fetuses at 10-14 weeks of gestation. Setting: Fetal medicine centre in London. Main outcome measure: Prevalence of major defects of the heart and great arteries. Results: Of 50 cases with major defects of the heart and great arteries (prevalence 1.7 per 1000 pregnancies) 28 (56%, 95% confidence interval 42% to 70%) were in the subgroup of 1822 pregnancies with fetal nuchal translucency thicknesses above the 95th centile of the normal range. The positive and negative predictive values for this cut off point of nuchal translucency thickness were 1.5% and 99.9% respectively. Conclusions: Measurement of fetal nuchal translucency thickness—traditionally used to identify fetuses at high risk of aneuploidy—at 10-14 weeks of gestation can identify a large proportion of fetuses with major defects of the heart and great arteries.