overdiagnosis
noun
over·di·ag·no·sis
ˌō-vər-ˌdī-ig-ˈnō-səs 
-əg-
: the diagnosis of a condition or disease more often than it is actually present
Examples of overdiagnosis in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What This Means For You The high rate of melanoma overdiagnosis in the U.S. leads to unnecessary anxiety for patients, highlighting the need for more precise diagnostic criteria and a reevaluation of how early-stage melanomas should be treated and communicated to patients.
—
Syeda Khaula Saad, Verywell Health, 28 Feb. 2024
But medical experts are concerned that full-body MRI scans could do more harm than good for the majority of patients — setting up people who have no specific risk of cancer or another illness for overtreatment and overdiagnosis.
—Alex Knapp, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
Nonetheless, many experts agree that overdiagnosis is real and demonstrable at the population level.
—Asia Friedman, STAT, 27 July 2023
The funny thing is that overdiagnosis of PBD is just about the only concern that the DSM-V committee is responding to at all.
—Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 21 Aug. 2012
Yet worrying about overdiagnosis does not help the treatment of individual patients, interventionists say.
—Asia Friedman, STAT, 27 July 2023
New research found that breast cancer screenings may be unnecessary for women over 70.1
The data showed that the likelihood of overdiagnosis—the detection of a cancer that would not have caused symptoms in a person’s lifetime—continues to go up with a woman's age.
—Maggie O'Neill, Health, 15 Aug. 2023
From the skeptical perspective, overdiagnosis represents a paradigm shift currently underway in thinking about cancer.
—Asia Friedman, STAT, 27 July 2023
Getting mammograms too early or too frequently has brought up concerns about false positives and overdiagnosis.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 2 June 2023
Syeda Khaula Saad, Verywell Health, 28 Feb. 2024
But medical experts are concerned that full-body MRI scans could do more harm than good for the majority of patients — setting up people who have no specific risk of cancer or another illness for overtreatment and overdiagnosis.
—Alex Knapp, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
Nonetheless, many experts agree that overdiagnosis is real and demonstrable at the population level.
—Asia Friedman, STAT, 27 July 2023
The funny thing is that overdiagnosis of PBD is just about the only concern that the DSM-V committee is responding to at all.
—Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 21 Aug. 2012
Yet worrying about overdiagnosis does not help the treatment of individual patients, interventionists say.
—Asia Friedman, STAT, 27 July 2023
New research found that breast cancer screenings may be unnecessary for women over 70.1
The data showed that the likelihood of overdiagnosis—the detection of a cancer that would not have caused symptoms in a person’s lifetime—continues to go up with a woman's age.
—Maggie O'Neill, Health, 15 Aug. 2023
From the skeptical perspective, overdiagnosis represents a paradigm shift currently underway in thinking about cancer.
—Asia Friedman, STAT, 27 July 2023
Getting mammograms too early or too frequently has brought up concerns about false positives and overdiagnosis.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 2 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overdiagnosis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near overdiagnosis
Cite this Entry
“Overdiagnosis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overdiagnosis. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
overdiagnosis
noun
over·di·ag·no·sis
-ˌdī-ig-ˈnō-səs, -əg-
plural overdiagnoses
-ˌsēz
: the diagnosis of a condition or disease (as Lyme disease) more often than it is actually present
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share