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Are PSA screenings for prostate cancer actually hurting men?
I seen this on MSN this morning so I thought I'd share it. It seems like the PSA test is getting a lot of attention these days.
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Are PSA screenings for prostate cancer actually hurting men?
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force made waves in October when it recommended that the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test for prostate cancer be given a “D” rating and no longer used. The screening has saved few, if any, lives over the years, the task force said, and treatments for slow-growing cancers sometimes uncovered by the tests can result in debilitating side effects. The Prostate Cancer Foundation, however, called the decision a “tremendous mistake.”
Re: Are PSA screenings for prostate cancer actually hurting men?
Aloha The Stranger,
First, the PSA gave me a longer life. My DRE has been so close to normal that no action was taken. The PSA was not that high, but did rise alarmingly before the biopsy.
Second, if a person has not been there & done that, communication with that person about detecting cancer is nigh impossible. If a person chooses not to have a PSA test, then only the road traveled will be experienced. A good friend(of ours)X did nothing until pain forced him to seek medical help. It only took a few months and he passed. Those who use this web site know that for out of control cases, pain management is difficult to impossible.
My two cents & my New Years resolution "Deal With IT!", Happy New Year,
Joe
Re: Are PSA screenings for prostate cancer actually hurting men?
Anyone interested in the ongoing debate about the value of PSA screening - as opposed to using PSA tests sensibly as part of an overall diagnosis - might find this piece of interest Mortality rates at 13 years of follow-up in the PLCO study The main point made is:
....the prostate cancer component of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial was undertaken to assess the impact of population-based screening (with PSA tests and DREs) on mortality at a maximum follow-up of 13 years after the trial .... shows “no evidence of a mortality benefit for organized annual screening in the PLCO trial compared with opportunistic screening” for prostate cancer..
Re: Are PSA screenings for prostate cancer actually hurting men?
I dont know much about this argument, all I know is but for a DRE I may never have known at 64 years of age I had a gleason 9 grade 5 cancer until too late, my psa was "normal" my elder brother finally succumbed to my insistence and had a DRE, the result being that it did not feel right at all, had a 2nd opinion and now will have a biopsy.
Re: Are PSA screenings for prostate cancer actually hurting men?
Sorry to hear of your diagnosis. Luckily there are a lot of new and existing treatments today. With regard to your PSA test, when you say normal do you mean under 4. I use to believe 4 and under was OK. I now know that the doubling time is important. You could have a PSA under 3 and still have cancer if it is rising quickly. Another reason for frequent PSA test. Good luck with your treatment.
Re: Are PSA screenings for prostate cancer actually hurting men?
From personal anecdotal information I feel PSA is an important tool. I have know men who have found cancer early through PSA testing and probably never have to worry about it again. I know a man who was 44 diagnosed with very aggressive cancer that spread through his body and is still alive today 7 years latter. His urologist discounted the extremely high PSA. He got a second opinion from a real specialist and they found he did have cancer. Tell these men the PSA test is not worthwhile. The important thing is to know what to do with information from the PSA. That should be where the debate is. On a strictly number and dollar bases maybe the test doesn't pencil. Again what to do with the information.
