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The Role of Fear in Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment

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Active Surveillance for Localized Prostate Cancer

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Urology ((CCU))

Abstract

Existential fear, systematically exacerbated in the interests of corporate profit and professional and political advancement, is driving medicine to deliver significant harms alongside undoubted benefits. The inflation and exploitation of risk drive overdiagnosis and overtreatment which cause harm to patients, undermine the role of doctors and threaten the viability of healthcare systems.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Royal College of General Practitioners, London, UK

    Iona Heath

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  1. Iona Heath
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Correspondence to Iona Heath .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Laurence Klotz

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Heath, I. (2018). The Role of Fear in Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment. In: Klotz, L. (eds) Active Surveillance for Localized Prostate Cancer. Current Clinical Urology. Humana Press, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62710-6_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62710-6_3

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62709-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62710-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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