title: Screening for cancer with molecular markers: progress comes with potential problems.
abstract: Recent research has raised hopes for impressively accurate screening for cancer with molecular biomarkers. These molecular markers will probably be more sensitive and specific than older screening modalities, as well as easier to use. In this Essay, I argue that these sensitive screening tests might be clinically valuable - but that they will present unique issues in implementation and interpretation. These issues are likely to affect the way clinicians conduct screening and the way that they make diagnoses in individuals who screen positive for cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7555, USA. jabaron@med.unc.edu
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Baron
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers