Chemotherapy is a good remedy for killing cancer cells -- and I hope every day that it did its job and killed all cancer cells that may have floated away from my original breast cancer tumor. But one not-so-good side effect of this good remedy is the beating that healthy cells take in the process of this life-saving treatment. It will be a red-letter day when chemotherapy can target only cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unaffected. And this day may be a bit closer for patients in Taiwan who find they are in the early stages of relapse with nasopharynx cancer.

On Wednesday, National Taiwan University Hospital introduced a new high-tech laser procedure -- potassium-titanyl-phosphate or KPT -- to vaporize cancer cells. Doctors use a small endoscopic camera and easily manipulate the laser to precisely eliminate the cancer cells in the back of the nose and the soft roof of the mouth -- without harming healthy cells. The procedure takes roughly 90 minutes and requires a two-day stay in the hospital. This procedure should only be used in the early stages of relapse, though, and first-time cancer patients should still seek chemotherapy. And while those in later stages of relapse can still receive the treatment, it will only relieve discomfort without solving the problem.

To date, there have been 16 successful KPT treatments for this disease that about 1,000 people in Taiwan contract each year.

In most cases, by the time someone notices the signs and symptoms of cancer, the cancer has developed past the early stage when it is most treatable. That is why there is so much emphasis on annual cancer screening for the most common cancers. That is the traditional wisdom.

As a result of the Mayo Lung Project study, researchers are saying the opposite. Basically, they are warning us not to go looking for trouble. It seems high-tech imaging technology can detect very small lung abnormalities that might be clinically unimportant but lead to over diagnosis of lung cancer, and subsequent toxicity and premature death from treatments for lung cancer.

The researchers placed patients in two groups. One group received multiple screening chest x-rays and spectrum tests used to identify lung cancer. The other group did not have any screening. 585 cancers were diagnosed in the first group, while 500 cancers were diagnosed in the second group.

The researchers concluded there is a very real and harmful role that over diagnosis plays in mass screening and the question remains if early detection of lung cancer through mass screening results in a net benefit to the public's health. Knowing this, I would still want to be screened. I might opt in getting second and third opinions in exploring treatment options before I rushed into any treatment though.