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Posted on 05/21/2012 4:49:36 PM PDT by tobyhill
A top panel of health experts called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says that men should no longer get routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests to screen for prostate cancer. The reason, it says, is that the tests may lead to treatments that do more harm than good.
U.S. panel recommends against PSA tests for screening prostate cancer in men of all ages
More than 33,000 American men die of prostate cancer each year. And, every year, 20 million get the PSA test to detect the disease early. The recommendation is already causing a lot of criticism. Dr. Jon LaPook reported on the issue.
For 20 years, the message has been the same: Get a PSA test every year or two, detect prostate cancer early -- and save your life. Dr. Michael Lefevre helped lead the panel that said the message was wrong.
"The problem is that in contrast to the small benefits, a significant number of men will be harmed by the test and treatments that follow prostate cancer screening," he said to CBS News.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
No, just do it. It's not that bad. One day of the trots. The procedure is nothing. And if you come out clean, you can probably never worry or bother with it again.
Valium injections (IM) followed by a Nubaine or Demerol push IV.
La-la land.
Easy Breezy!
Same thing just happened to a family member. He was very healthy, 71, diagnosed with the psa screen as grade I prostate cancer.
Had the radiation, and 6 months later developed lymphoma (likely secondary to immune suppression from the radiation).
16 months after the diagnosis, chemotherapy, and he is dead
Probably would have lived a lot longer if he hadn’t undergone any treatment.
The worst part of the whole thing is the prep at home, the actual colonoscopy is not a big deal.
It’s best to have the procedure done. It only takes a few minutes. I was in and out of the hospital in about 2 1/2 hrs. That includes admitting and release. I had the doctor knock me out too. The worst part is the stuff you have to drink the day before to clean you out. It tastes like the water from a bait tank on a fishing boat.
“I think I’ll trust my physician to help me sort out the risks and benefits of any medical procedure I may need to consider, Thank You!”
Agreed. And just who are the “U.S. Preventive Services Task Force” anyway, are they peer reviewed?
I think I’ll trust my physician too.
More people die with it, than of it..
Also, some time ago there was another study discussed here on FR... this was one where they biopsied the cadavers of young men (still teens?) and they found that a very significant percentage were found to have cancerous cells in their prostates (I seem to remember a number like 15 or 20). Having been down this road of being told that by the doctor that my PSA numbers had all of a sudden gone sky high, the approach of watchfulness has a lot of merit. As my doctor tells me, “you’ll have prostate cancer when you die... it just won’t be what kills you”.
And just today, Dr Oz made a very similar statement about mammograms when he was commenting on a recent study.... “Now, a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health adds fuel to the debate by stating that routine mammograms may lead to significant overdiagnosis of breast cancer, causing undue anxiety, additional costly testing, and unnecessary breast cancer treatment.” .....http://www.realage.com/womens-health/are-mammograms-overrated-for-detecting-breast-cancer?eid=1010657344&memberid=29975582
It’s very simple. Government studies and academic research have lost all credibility. I don’t believe anything they say anymore. It’s all about their self-interest, socialist agenda, and getting more grant money. It’s no longer about altruism and looking out for us, the unwashed masses.I don’t trust government, bureaucrats, unions, academics, intelligentsia. I do trust my doctors.
One word sums up this ‘panel’...
Eugenics
Prostate cancer’s a naturally occuring disease of aging. Virtually every man at age 90 has it, and almost all of them will die of something else.
The incidence of detectable prostate cancer tracks age. It’s not linear, but roughly 10 points below age expressed as a percentage. If you biopsy symptomless young men at random, you’ll find a significant amount of it, most of which will never be discovered and never cause a problem.
The big missing link here is a test that will accurately predict which PC will become aggressive and which can safely be left alone. Until that’s developed, there’ll be a hell of a lot of men getting unnecessary treatments and experiencing the side effects associated with them. It’s a craps shoot.
and FWIW: PSA tests ARE useful for tracking post-treatment recurrence.
A big problem of high PSAs when no cancer is present - is that it often leads to a biopsy, where they do about 30 pokings into the prostate for samples, leaving your prostate a bloody mess of holes. It will heal, but there are ramifications of that where the healing process takes time, an in the meantime you are uncomfortable, and experience unsettling bleeds.
>> A big problem of high PSAs when no cancer is present - is that it often leads to a biopsy <<
But often not. In my case, a high PSA reading led to a six-week course of antibiotics, which zapped a prostate infection and brought the PSA back down.
Family history is definitely an issue. If there is a history of colon cancer or similar problems then without question, do it. I mean, I would (and have) had the test regardless. It’s no big deal, very safe, and if there is a problem, finding it now could make a huge difference to your future.
funny thing. Since they passed Obamacare, breast cancer screenings and now prostate cancer screenings and wasteful and unnecessary..
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