The impact of a misinterpretation of the term “overtreatment”

Dear Editor, Collective screening identifying endocrine diseases has not only the advantage of achieving early diagnosis but also the disadvantage of leading to overdiagnosis. Overdiagnosis involves the identification of diseases that would not have been diagnosed throughout the life course without screening. Therefore, diagnosis and treatment would actually be unnecessary for overdiagnosed patients throughout their life, and would also confer major disadvantages for them, not only physically but also psychosocially. When overdiagnosis of cancer occurs, the pathological diagnosis itself is correct, so overdiagnosis is completely different from misdiagnosis. Treatment in cases of overdiagnosis can be defined as overtreatment [1]. Clinicians may underestimate the disadvantages of overdiagnosis and overtreatment because it is not known in individual cases whether the diagnosis involves overdiagnosis or early detection that would benefit the patient [2].