The oxford handbook of oncology is the official go to guide for students and practitioners for the last several decades. The checklist of cancer screening diagnostics we found very valuable and applicable to a business we are currently studying.
Screening is a process where asymptomatic individuals are tested in order to detect a disease that has yet to be symptomatic. For a screening diagnostic to be effective it should meet certain criteria:
The Disease:
Its Natural history is well understood
It has a recognisable early stage
Treatment at an early stage is more successful than at a later stage
It is sufficiently common in the target population to warrant screening
The Test
Sensitive and Specific
Acceptable
Safe
Inexpensive
The Program
Adequate facilities for diagnosis in those with a positive test
High quality of treatment for screen-detected disease
Screening can be repeated at intervals if the disease is of insidious onset
Benefit must outweigh physical and psychological harm
Benefit must justify the cost