Overtreatment can occur due to a variety of reasons. One common factor is the fear of cancer recurrence, which may lead both doctors and patients to opt for aggressive treatments even when the likelihood of benefit is low. Additionally, diagnostic advancements have increased the detection of small, slow-growing tumors that might never cause harm, but are often treated aggressively. Financial incentives and defensive medicine, where doctors prescribe more treatments to avoid potential legal issues, also contribute to overtreatment.
