Feds Nix PSA

[moi621 (imported)]

S'more

http://news.yahoo.com/psa-screening-doe ... 00010.html

PSA screening doesn't prevent cancer deaths: study

"Comparing men who were screened each year with so-called PSA tests, for prostate specific antigen, or rectal exams to those who received their usual care, researchers found that more men in the screening group had been diagnosed with prostate cancer after 13 years -- but there was no difference in how many had died from it."

If only we had a comparison of Men Treated for Prostate Cancer against Men Diagnosed and Untreated.

Moi

[moi621 (imported)]

Old habits die hard.

The Urologist are quite upset.

Some hamburger instead of steak they fear.

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostersh ... 9343.story

"The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has released new guidelines for prostate cancer screening — urging doctors not to use the popular PSA test to detect the disease. . . "

The guy on NBC news even said most cases of Prostate Cancer are not lethal.

I say, those Prostate cancers that are lethal seem to demonstrate there is nothing you can do about it. Ala Frank Zappa.

They occur at a younger age too.

Moi

The medical community finally caught up to Moi!

Remember. Life is dangerous. It always results in death.

[transward (imported)]

Part of it is the probability involved in screening general populations is counterintuitive. If you have a screening test that is right nine times out of ten, and you are screening the general population for a disease that occurs once per hundred people, and you get a positive result, there is only a ten percent that you actually have the disease. Nine times out of ten it is a false positive. If treatment is initiated based on the test, it can lead to serious problems.

On the other hand if the same test is administered to a patient to confirm a suspected diagnosis and you get a positive result, the probability of having the disease is 90%.

Transward

[sduyck_2000 (imported)]

most psa tests are paid for by the federal government thru medicare

If a patient dies from cancer because no test was done to catch the cancer early it is a win ..win ..for the federal goverment

no tests to pay for

no treatments to pay for

no more social security to pay to dead men

a money saver all the way around

funny thing about men they dont go to doctors for tests until they are retired and someone else pays for the tests...after they retire

everytime i have had a psa test done it has come back almost zero

a waste of time on me i guess

i have many uncles that had prostate cancer and had every treatment there is and they all died in 4 years except the one who was castrated

my brother in law just got prostate cancer at 44 and they removed his whole prostate with a robot

his prostate was perfect the year before when he had a vasectomy

it went bad so fast

[moi621 (imported)]

The digital exam

relied upon prior to the PSA was no more reliable.

Prostatic ultrasound screening? Like that damned idea everyone needs a colonoscopy?

At least you get drugs with the later.

Life leads to death! 100% certainty.

With no close family who "need me", I decided years ago I would not opt for consistent screening or heroic life extending measures or sickening treatment to extend life but not cure the disease.

My choice.

Moi

Now a Trust. In Moi, Trust.

[nullorchis (imported)]

"Trust me, I'm from the government". Yea. Right. I see nothing wrong with having a PSA test. It's just a blood test for pity sakes. Any and all available tests to detect possible cancer should be used. Digital, even biopsy. Granted, some cancerous prostates will not result in major health issue or death; those afflicted will die of other causes before a cancerous prostate will become a problem. For me, I want nothing to do with cancer. If in doubt, rip it out. I'm demanding all possible tests be done. On a regular basis.

[unencumbered (imported)]

My current doctor must not read my chart because I was billed $107 for lab work to check my PSA. Dumbass I am a eunuch I do not need a PSA. I am waiting until the next time I see him to ask how worried I need to be about prostate cancer. Sorry back to the thread.

If you are taking testosterone, its good to have a PSA test, along with a T level test. You can still get prostate cancer if you're taking too much T. If your PSA level is too high, you can reduce the amount of T to bring it down.

[moi621 (imported)]

"Trust me, I'm from the government". Yea. Right. I see nothing wrong with having a PSA test. It's just a blood test for pity sakes. Any and all available tests to detect possible cancer should be used. Digital, even biopsy. Granted, some cancerous prostates will not result in major health issue or death; those afflicted will die of other causes before a cancerous prostate will become a problem. For me, I want nothing to do with cancer. If in doubt, rip it out. I'm demanding all possible tests be done. On a regular basis.

Problem is there is no evidence aggressive management cures the more aggressive forms of the disease.

Are you so ready to experience the associated nerve damage, down there?

Moi

Prostate Cancer Atheist. Before it was popular.

[moi621 (imported)]

"They" continue to agree with me.

The first time I uploaded this thought, years and years ago

I was soundly thrashed by the "Cancer, Cancer" alarmist.

Some alarms aren't worth hearing.

New England Journal of Medicine July 19, 2012 pg 203

Among men with localized prostatic cancer detected during the early era of PSA testing, radical prostatectomy did not significantly reduce all cause or prostate cancer mortality as compared to observation, through at least 12 years of follow up.

Learn tomorrows' medical opinions today.

PM Moi

Moi

All those men's man parts, carved up and left numb to the world

for no good reason.

[ned123 (imported)]

time for my two cents worth. Without PSA (screening) it is a screening not a diagnostic tool, I would be on my last legs. The key with psa is to get a baseline and then follow it over time. Any steep rise and you should move on to a more diagnostic arena. Of course you also need to get a digital rectal exam as well.

The PSA test is usually way over charged for by most labs and docs. But I get mine for less then $20 at a local lab.

I agree that in many cases active surveillance (no longer watchful waiting) is the best choice for many men once diagnosed. But you need to be active, and get regular psa and biopsy's. At a certain point you need to be ready to be active about treatment, maybe never.

With that said, I came in at a gleason 9, later downgraded to a gleason 7. What that means is I had to take action. Without doing anything I would defiantly die of the disease. After studying all my options, I opted for robotic surgery. I've studied all the statistics, and found that the general outcome for me is better than having done nothing at all. As has been mentioned, I have indeed suffered many of the side effects from the surgery. For example I am now totally impotent, and also have slight incontinence issues. I can still orgasm, because those are different nerves. But I remain totally limp and completely dry when I do. But being a member of this group you can understand that when I say I am fine with that I am indeed fine with it.

I have attended many meetings and have heard many presentations by many professionals in the field. And of course there are lies, damn lies, and statistics. But the one that stands out to me the most is very simple, since the advent of the PSA test, the deaths from prostate cancer have been cut in half.

It is not so much the test itself but the follow-up Procedures of our for the $$$ medical system that seems to be the problem. As a patient, you have to take charge of your treatment. As my doctor said, he's a hammer, and everything looks like a nail to him. So he advised me to do my research and to talk to other certain specialists. Without a cheap and simple blood test I would be on my way To a certain and painful death.