"No PSA Testing" recommendation

Eving news on NBC mentions that the formal recommendation against PSA testing has come down today.

Just mentioning it so that 50 threads won't open. Not even going to say what I think about it.

I was playing wii golf and listening to Brian Williams when the leading story was this piece of crap. I almost threw my wii remote through the screen.

That's all guys need to hear--"no need to get tested". They will never hear
the but,....whatever...

Save the ta ta's? PC? ---- blah blah blah

Too bad we can't find out if those who said we should stop using the PSA test will actually follow their own recommendation.

Here's the Cleveland Plain Dealer story:

www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/05/task_force_discourages_use_of.html

Jerry among various MD's and PHd's they are largely epidemiologists. It's a statistics game. You and I weren't supposed to be diagnosed yet...statistically speaking.

Tony

www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/members.htm

You beat me to it Clock!. But I activated the link...

Tony

I responded to an earlier thread when this came out a few months back.

Certainly for the people here whose PCa has spread and is aggressive, the anger at this decision is understandable. The argument is statistical though, the point is that screening for men without symptoms, combined with the somewhat routine treatment after follow-up testing, is causing more harm than good. per 1000 men tested , 1 is saved from dying of PCa, and 37-43 have very significant side effects due to treatment.

I will try to spend some time reading the full report and looking into the studies used. But for me it is too late, I was treated due to screening and biopsy. I will never know if the treatment really extends my life. Statistically , I will have to live another 10-15 years before the treatment , if it cured me, adds years to my life. But, I do get to live now with pain, ED, physical changes and emotional issues, and I have gotten off easy compared to some of us.

Purgatory - our prolific friend, was severely injured by radiation therapy if I remember.

I still don't know if I would have chosen not to get screened if this research had been public 2 years ago. It's really hard on the patients when even the doctors don't agree.

sorry if I've offended anyone here. the whole mess is just irritating to no end

Perhaps a preemptive attempt at reducing (no political comments - 142) costs?

Post Edited By Moderator (142) : 5/22/2012 7:57:25 AM (GMT-6)

“Basically out of 1,000 men who are screened, one man will not die of prostate cancer who otherwise would have died of prostate cancer,” said Moyer, a professor of pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine.

Well that one man is me.... 41 yo G9 caught by routine Psa after I requested the test.
ps... professor of pediatrics chiming in on prostate CA?

Pea pusher's unmitigated horse feathers!!

Written with left hand, sorry.

It's easy for many of us -- including me -- to bash this panel's recommendations and I still don't believe that non-testing is the answer.  But the spectre of overtreatment is real and I suggest that only a few posters in this generally-well-educated forum have their arms around that real problem and have recognized it.  Let me give you an example.  We have a poster on this forum with a low PSA, who had a saturation biopsy with only 1 sample found as positive and the positive sample included less than 5% cancer.  He is a G6.  In a recent thread he said he had chosen "surgery" as his treatment.  Of the dozen or so replies to his announced decision, only one questioned it -- most responses were of the "good luck, you'll do fine" variety.  Huh?

If our well-informed group can't recognize this over treatment issue and the urological establishment cannot then why are we surprised when panels come out with this kind of recommendation?

Tudpock (Jim)

New to site. Just finished IMRT. Yeah, like I would trust the Govt.  Imagine when (no political comments - 142) starts and the new regs. demand that medical support people must be Govt hired> TSA caliber people in charge of your health. Right.

My best friend just had a physical. He is 52. His Dr. told him that the PSA number is overated and he didn't need one. He told his Dr. about my case and how my PSA jumped from 3.3 to 4.6 in a year. I had biopsy and found 1 plug 20%. Classic case of early detection that would not have been found without PSA test. He asked his Dr." Would having the test give me a baseline for the years to come?" Dr. says" I suppose so."  ????? You suppose so? You are the Dr. He is getting a  new family Dr.

56 years old

PSA 2011   3.3

PSA 2012   4.6

Gleason  3 / 4

1 plug from 10 -  20%

Just finished IMRT 5/18.  42 days.

 

Post Edited By Moderator (142) : 5/22/2012 7:56:15 AM (GMT-6)

I think it's all about statistics.

The statistics seem to support the conclusion when quality of life issues are factored in.