Screening carries risks.
Deciding whether to screen can be difficult. Not all screenings are helpful, and most carry risks. Before you have any screening, you can discuss it with your doctor. It is important to know the risks of screening and whether it has been shown to reduce the risk of death from stomach cancer.
The risks of screening for stomach cancer include the following:
Discovering stomach cancer may not improve your health or help extend your life.
If you have advanced gastric cancer, screening may not improve your health or help extend your life.
Some cancers never become symptomatic or life-threatening, but if they are detected through screening, they are treated. And it’s not known whether treating these cancers will help extend life or cause serious side effects compared to not treating them.
False-negative results may occur.
Even if stomach cancer is present, screening results may show normal. People who receive a false-negative test result (a screening test that shows no cancer even though they have cancer) can lead to a delay in seeking medical care even if they have symptoms.
False-positive results can occur.
Screening results may show abnormalities even if you do not have stomach cancer. False-positive results (screening for cancer even though you don’t have cancer) can cause anxiety and are often accompanied by more tests and treatments that are also risky.
Screening itself can also cause side effects.
Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy can cause the following rare but serious side effects: