5 Cancer Tests and Treatments with Little or No Value

By Joe Elia

The American Society of Clinical Oncology has identified a second group of commonly used tests and treatments in cancer medicine that have little or no benefit. The list, part of the American Board of Internal Medicine's "Choosing Wisely" initiative, appears in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Briefly, here are this year's "top five" items:

• Don't give antiemetics to patients starting chemotherapies that have low-to-moderate potential for causing symptoms.

• In treating metastatic breast cancer, avoid combination chemotherapy unless the patient's cancer burden needs to be reduced quickly.

• Avoid PET scanning in routine follow-up unless there's "high-level" evidence that the imaging will improve outcomes.

• Don't do PSA testing in asymptomatic men when life expectancy is under 10 years.

• Don't use therapy targeted against a specific genetic aberration unless the patient has specific biomarkers that predict effective response.