00:01This was a huge study done by one of the bigger providers of one of these tests.
00:06So what the test does is it detects tiny amounts of cancer DNA in the bloodstream.
00:12So if you've got a cancer, and this is a theory, and it's spinning off DNA into the bloodstream,
00:19you can detect this in very small quantities.
00:22Now, it's already being used in Australia to monitor cancer progress.
00:26So let's say you've got pancreatic cancer or lung cancer or something like that,
00:30and they want to monitor whether or not it's coming back and whether or not it's recurred before it's gone
00:35too far.
00:36They're already doing research to see whether or not, in a very isolated way, with a specific cancer,
00:43whether detecting it through the blood and treating it promptly can extend your life and survival or even cure rates.
00:50This is different.
00:51This is detecting, see, this cancer DNA in otherwise healthy people to see whether or not they might have cancer
00:59that could be cured if detected early.
01:02Now, there's only four cancers that are screened around the world, really,
01:07and so this extends it to maybe 50 different cancers.
01:10And it was a study done in 142,000 people in the UK by an American company
01:16that charges in the United States about 1,500 US for this test in the promise that it's going to
01:22find cancer early.
01:24Bottom line, in this study, which was a three-year study in people, I think, between 50 and 80 or
01:3055 and 77,
01:31something like that, they found no benefit.
01:34In other words, they were not significantly finding cancer at an earlier stage.
01:39Maybe a little signal there that they might go from stage 4 to stage 3,
01:45but stage 3 is not necessarily a curable cancer.
01:49So really not fulfilling the promise, unfortunately.
01:53It would be nice if a blood test did.
01:54And the problem here is that you might have a positive blood test and no cancer to find.
01:59What do you do?
02:00Do you live with the anxiety here?
02:03What's the doctor going to do if this particular blood test comes up positive,
02:07but there's no sign of the cancer in your body?
02:10Are you going to remove a whole organ based on no cancer?
02:13You're not going to do that.
02:14And so it creates a lot of dilemmas.
02:17The technology might one day prove to be useful,
02:20but it goes alongside whole-body MRI scanning that people are getting for cancer.
02:24There's no proof that this sort of mass screening works.
02:29You've really got to go cancer by cancer
02:32and see whether or not there are early detection tests,
02:35particularly in people at high risk.
02:38And that's the subject of research.
02:40But I wouldn't be going spending $1,500 of your hard-earned money
02:44because it might do you more harm than good.
02:46A lot of money there indeed.
02:47I want to talk about dental health now, Norman.
02:50I mean, we all know we're meant to be flossing.
02:52Is that a given?
02:54Does the research tell us we should be?
02:55Well, the research is all over the place, really.
02:58But the bottom line with flossing...
03:00So people say, well, if it prevents inflammation of the gums
03:03and infection in the gums, gingivitis and periodontitis,
03:07there is some research which suggests that's related to coronary heart disease.
03:11It might make heart disease worse
03:12or maybe even increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
03:16But it's also about oral health.
03:18So the evidence for flossing and reducing plaque
03:21and reducing inflammation of the gums is pretty good,
03:24particularly in older people.
03:26Not great, but it's pretty good.
03:29So for oral hygiene, worth doing, you'd have to say.
03:33Whether or not interdental brushing is...
03:37What value there is not known.
03:39A lot of dentists will tell you to do the interdental brushing as well.
03:43They're the little sticks with the things on the end that you push through.
03:47Yeah, that's right.
03:47Because that's a lot easier than using the floss.
03:49But if you've got a crowded mouth, then you really want the flossing
03:52to actually get into the hard surfaces between your teeth.
03:58So it depends whether or not your parents could afford orthodontics
04:00when you were young.
04:01If you're like my parents and couldn't, you've got a crowded mouth,
04:04you do need the flossing to actually clean those interdental spaces.
04:07The evidence of coronary heart disease really isn't there.
04:10It looks as though that people who floss are actually generally healthier.
04:14They don't smoke, they eat a healthier diet.
04:16And that's what prevents coronary heart disease.
04:19So flossing is just a sign of a person who's probably got more time in their life
04:23to do the flossing and think about their health and well-being
04:26than other people might otherwise.
04:29There is a tantalising link with Alzheimer's disease,
04:33but there's no proof of that.
04:35So look, floss for your dental health.
04:37If it helps your brain and your heart, good luck to you.
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