Intended for healthcare professionals

Choice

The screening industry

BMJ 2003; 326 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.326.7395.0/f (Published 26 April 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;326:f
  1. Richard Smith, editor

    Have you thought of buying your significant other a whole body scan? It's the most fashionable of gifts and perhaps particularly suitable for a 50th, 60th, or even 40th birthday. You might be giving your loved one the supreme gift of extra years of life. Unfortunately, you may be more likely to give him or her a lorry load of anxiety and a series of invasive, painful, and unnecessary investigations.

    Whole body scanning is currently being intensely marketed in the United States (p 894) and the enthusiasm will surely spread. The “sell” is simple. You might have something horrible lurking in your …

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