Alexandra Barratt

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Men are 17% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than they were 30 years ago. fizkes/Shutterstock

29,000 cancers overdiagnosed in Australia in a single year

Alexandra Barratt, University of Sydney; Katy Bell, University of Sydney; Mark Jones, Bond University; Paul Glasziou, Bond University, and Thanya Pathirana, Griffith University

New research estimates 24% of cancers in men that were detected in 2012 were overdiagnosed, meaning they never would have caused harm if left untreated.
Being labelled with a serious illness can cause psychological distress. rawpixel

Five warning signs of overdiagnosis

Alexandra Barratt, University of Sydney and Katy Bell, University of Sydney

New tests may mean more people are diagnosed, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be helped by the label or the treatment. Here are five markers that overdiagnosis may be occuring.
More mammography, for instance, starting at a younger age or screening more often, isn’t necessarily better. from www.shutterstock.com

Three questions to ask about calls to widen breast cancer screening

Alexandra Barratt, University of Sydney

Calls to routinely offer breast cancer screening to more women might sound like a good idea, but can harm. Here are three questions to ask when figuring out whether more screening really is better.
If we want to know whether screening saves lives, we need to show a reduction in the cancer death rate rather than an increase in the survival rate. Steven Depolo/Flickr

When talking about cancer screening, survival rates mislead

Katy Bell, University of Sydney; Alexandra Barratt, University of Sydney, and Andrew Hayen, UNSW

Cancer screening is beneficial when it’s able to prevent people dying from cancer. And it should clearly be adopted where there’s evidence showing this. But using cancer survival rates to promote screening…
The consequences of fetal personhood on women’s rights in pregnancy and childbirth, and for abortion, are uncertain. SIOBHAN MARREN/AAP

Zoe’s Law could take NSW backwards in women’s rights

Alexandra Barratt, University of Sydney

A bill due to be debated in the upper house of the NSW Parliament will bestow legal personhood to fetuses of 20 weeks or more for the purpose of grievous bodily harm offences in the Crimes Act, if passed…
Over the centuries, the name cancer has become synonymous with dreaded disease. Jason Lee

What’s in a name? Why we need to reconsider the word cancer

Alexandra Barratt, University of Sydney

Earlier this year, leading American cancer scientists called for a set of changes to deal with the problem of over-diagnosis and over-treatment caused by cancer screening. Efforts to raise awareness and…
Today Show host, Lisa Wilkinson, undergoing a mammogram live on the Channel 9’s Today Show. PR IMAGE /AAP

Celebrity breast screening: all that glitters is not gold

Gemma Jacklyn, University of Sydney and Alexandra Barratt, University of Sydney

Celebrities have taken to “live” mammograms on television, undergoing this usually very private procedure in a rather public way. This includes Today show co-host Lisa Wilkinson, and news presenter, Georgie…
There’s a deep uncertainty about both the benefits and the harms of breast cancer screening as it is practiced today. Tips Times/Flickr

Growing uncertainty about breast cancer screening

Alexandra Barratt, University of Sydney and Gemma Jacklyn, University of Sydney

When they were introduced over 20 years ago, national breast screening programs were a milestone in public health. They were based on evidence from randomised trials that screening saved lives. But there…
Data will allow us to monitor the quality, safety and access to abortion across the country. datalicious/flickr

Finally, greater access to RU486 – now let’s collect abortion data

Alexandra Barratt, University of Sydney; Angela Taft, La Trobe University; Juliet Richters, UNSW , and Kirsten Black, University of Sydney

Medical abortions will finally be easily available to Australian women when the drug RU486 (mifepristone and misoprostol) is listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from August 1, 2013. But…
The harms from over-diagnosis and over-treatment mean that not everyone benefits from breast cancer screening. Ian Hunter

Breast cancer screening needs to make more than economic sense

Alexandra Barratt, University of Sydney; Kirsten Howard, University of Sydney, and Kirsten McCaffery, University of Sydney

A recent article in The Conversation’s Health Rationing series endorsed the government’s decision to extend the BreastScreen program to women aged 70 to 74 (from 50 to 69), based on the results of a 2009…
There’s virtually no difference in cancer incidence between women aged 20-24 years who screened are and those who are not. Spirit-Fire/Flickr

Cervical cancer screening shouldn’t start until 25

Kirsten McCaffery, University of Sydney; Alexandra Barratt, University of Sydney, and Jane Williams, University of Sydney

Women in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will all soon be advised to start screening for cervical cancer at 25 years, and those aged between 50 and 64 years to screen every five years rather…

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