Fewer men estimated to die from prostate cancer

An encouraging (mostly) article recently posted on the "ZERO, the end of prostate cancer" site.

Highlights:

"Advances in the treatment of prostate cancer have lead to a steady decline in deaths from the disease."

"An estimated 180,890 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016, an 18 percent decline from 2015 estimates."

But also:

"Detection rates have fallen significantly in recent years due to the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommendation against PSA testing, and this decision may lead to an increasing number of patients being diagnosed in the late stages of the disease, severely limiting their options for treatment.”

So while this latter fact is disappointing (as many will doubtless agree), it's still a positive that, according to this ZERO article, some of the statistics are moving in the right direction.

/zerocancer.org/about/news---fewer-men-estimated-to-die-from-prostate-cancer?srctid=1&erid=13271178&trid=58ac0930-73a3-4e85-9684-fa784f91a267

There is something in the way the URL is being rendered in the forum window. I've seen this before and don't know why it happens, but in the middle of the URL a HTML tag (strong in this case) is being injected just after the word 'about'

cut and past will work better.

Clearly not better for those with late stage diagnosis I would say....(and since many of these discussions of psa turn into a bit of a firestorm that is all I will say)....

I agree Allen, that would be an interesting statistic.

Also agree that is really good news with the declining death rate. Still a long way to go with treatment but apparently a lot of great strides have been made.

the insurance companies and its advocates are the winners here. i'll say it again: anyone who is against PSA screening for younger men is the enemy.

ed

Some one forgot to tell my husband that he wasn't supposed to die of PC. Where are the statistics going to be 2years from now ? There are many variations to PC in Daves case his was the aggressive type. If you screen for cancer you can find tbe variation you have ...but you need that DRE and PSA .To not look at the prostate as part of a physical exam is a sham. How long did Dave harbor cancer cells we will never know because those tests even though requested were denied to him. I most certainly agree men at Stage 2 at diagnosis can be the sucess story here. Stage 4 not so much . There is a total misconseption in the medical field when a nurse practioner tells your husband that at 57 he is to YOUNG to worry about PC is a OLD mans disease ??? SHE doesn't reccomend screening because of false negatives and positives.. ??? This is how men are being thrown under the wheels of a fast moving semi .If you seperate the Dre from the Psa you may find some of the cancer by feel .Daves prostate in Jan of 2013 when a urologist did the Dre he could feel the cancer In the prostate . How long was that there ? There were symptoms In 2010 that again were put aside by nurse practitioner .All men have these problems yet problems didn't start till that year . A million times over I will regret till the end of my time that we accepted such scandalous medical and I won't even call it care!! This person who did my hubbys physical just graduated as a NP 3 months previous. Her feild of expertise Pre natal and well baby?? Why was someone like her even doing Daves exam? With cancer you have to get the best care you can it goes with out saying to have the medical at every level you need

Thank - James
Even with idiot Guidelines that don't want mass screening ( The American and Canadian Task Force Guidlines) . They say to look at the patient as a individual. Dave was a only child , no brother that had that diagnosis, his age 57 He worked for 37 in a pulp and paper mill exposed to dioxins and harmfull chemicals every day. He was a ex smoker .. His mother when dhe died had breast cancer .The grandfather maternal had cancer we didnt know the whole history but turns out that was aggressive PC . We were very uneducated In P C the way it was put to Dave was totally wrong ! It will never change the fact but just why when screening was requested was it not done. To be very honest we never even heard of the contraversy over screening ..Why is it that by the time we are all here we are experts in PC . Yes I could scream , God knows I have cried and part of me died with Dave just over 5 months ago .
We started a complaints proçess that was heard by the college on Nurses . In March I am taking this to the next level .I am asking all the WHYS . I am armed with Daves own medical records. Her admission that Dave LOOKED HEALTHY as reason to not screen . Plus when we wrote to the Ministry of Health the kindly wrote us back saying that here In Ontario a Psa is a covered expense if there is even a supicion of PC from a MANS PHYSICAL that includes a DRE exam and of course when you have cancer they will cover your continued screening .
Jim what happened to Dave sickens me right to the core of my being! I don't ever want to see it happen to someone else's husband . We looked forward to retirement years with each other . I couldn't even begin to describe how much my heart breaks. PSA at time of death over 10,000 spread to liver adrenal glands , long bones , every where, Had bone marrow suppression from ra 223. He died at home with me were he wanted to be. At the start PSA was 80 the lowest we were ever able to get it to was 7.5. He at diagnosis was already past radiation or prostectomy. .

thanks for posting this.

I stand by my original position, hasn't changed since my dx. in 2008.

PSA testing can/has saved lives. It's cheap. It's fairly accurate and a good tool.

Tired of the endless arguments pro/con over the years. No, not a doctor. Just smuck with PC like countless thousands of other men.

Rather see over testing, then even to lose one more soul to this cursed cancer. Over treatment is still different argument than being dxd.

Just tired of this subject being beat to death for years on end. Just my personal opinion, nothing more, nothing less.

Trying to make a difference where I can. It's better than just complaining, at least to me.

I lead a team of about 10 guys, ranging from 30-60 or so in age. My PCa is known to all of them, I'm not secretive with my team, and usually the hot flashes are the jumping off point for the conversation. I encourage them all to know their PSA, and same with any other men I meet that seem about 45 or more. Anyone, and I've had this conversation with quite a few guys. Most do NOT know their PSA, never had it checked as far as they know.

I've coached my guys on what the doc will say, even to a 50 year old, "Why, no we don't recommend that test. Your insurance may not pay for it. yada yada yada...". I tell them to insist, and at 45+ to even pay out of pocket if necessary. It's just not that expensive anyway.

Redwing57 said...

I've coached my guys on what the doc will say, even to a 50 year old, "Why, no we don't recommend that test. Your insurance may not pay for it. yada yada yada...". I tell them to insist, and at 45+ to even pay out of pocket if necessary. It's just not that expensive anyway.

Redwing57, I think that's a very useful approach for one-on-one discussions with friends & colleagues, and a great way for you to use your experience to help others. Kudos to you!

Here's an idea on how you (or others) might fine-tune that "coaching" message to more accurately align with their encounter in the doctor's office today...

I'd like to see the doctor bring up the dialogue—without prompting by the patient—about shared decision making regarding PSA baselining/testing, but if they are seeing a GP (typically a Family Medicine/Family Physician doc) and that doc isn't forth-coming with a discussion about this topic, then say to them:

"Your professional association recommends that 'Physicians should not offer or order PSA screening unless they are prepared to engage in shared decision making that enables an informed choice by patients.' So, let's have that conversation so that I can be informed and make the right decision."

It would be disappointing to hear of doctors NOT following their own professional society's recommendations for Best Practices on how physicians should be conducting their practice...! Fire that doc and find another one!

http://www.choosingwisely.org/societies/american-academy-of-family-physicians/


BTW, the AUA has similar guidelines, but most men get their first PSA test/baseline from a GP. Neither of the professional organizations are "against" PSA testing.

Post Edited (JackH) : 2/22/2016 1:57:11 PM (GMT-7)

I have also been spreading the word one on one. My workplace has a lot of guys "our age", and when I got diagnosed I started asking around and came up with a list of an even dozen of our co-workers who have gotten the PC diagnosis over the last 15 years or so...and one guy died of it. I've found it very effective to do it one on one, in the break room or after work over an adult beverage. They all know the others who have gotten it, and most of them have had a baseline check. We also have annual occupational health screenings...and I think this year I'm going to find out if PSA is available as part of it. We also have an annual health fair, and I'm going to suggest to the organizers that they invite a urologist to come to the health fair. Maybe maybe not. Can't hurt.

Hello Fellows,

Yes --- I believe in the friend-to-friend, man-to-man, conversations that advocate to others about the importance of early testing and due diligence when it comes to prostate cancer and men's health ... some events in my life have led to a unique perspective, but some subsequent events have ALSO led to special opportunities to share the word with others. I hope that within my words, you will find something that resonates with you or spurs a positive course of action or a conversation that could help someone that you know ...

For years, there has been a public service commercial on television that states: "Be A MAN --- GO To The DOCTOR." Although I hope that commercial is reaching someone out there, I think direct conversations are much MORE effective --- and I have living proof of that since my diagnosis ...

Truth be told, if we're being honest, I think women do a better job of networking with each other on health issues ... but I see evidence that men ARE beginning to step up to the plate more ... and this forum is a prime example of that in action, each and every day. Keep reaching out to others, fellows !

In my lifetime, my maternal grandfather, then my father, and now I have all been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I realize I represent the third generation of my family to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and that realization leaves me determined to reach out to others in this situation. Basically, my family has been dealing with prostate cancer over the course of 40 years, these past three generations ... and now it's been my turn to walk onto the battlefield. If I think about things from my mother's point of view: her father (my grandfather), then her husband (my father), and now me ... her oldest son ... have ALL been diagnosed with prostate cancer. This gives me a unique perspective, based on my family's history ...

Growing up in the 1970s , I visited my grandfather every single day after he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. There were NO treatments offered to him ... there were no ADT shots available then ... no chemotherapy treatments like Taxotere were approved ... no breakthrough medications like ZYTIGA, XTANDI, or XOFIGO had been discovered yet ... and the PSA test wasn't even heard of then. My grandfather lasted just a few months ... we had one last Christmas together, and then he was gone ... right before my eyes.

I often wonder today about the treatments that have helped me now, 40 years later ... the life-extending advances that have emerged in very recent times, with the promise of more treatments coming around the bend as we speak ... and I truly wonder how these treatments could have impacted my grandfather's life ... which has always left me very determined to pursue every treatment possible, remembering HIS fighting spirit. He was a full-blooded Scandinavian and he fought like a Viking warrior ... but no medical "swords & shields" were offered to him as he entered the battlefield, in terms of treatments. I owe it to my grandfather to keep fighting ... to be mindful of others in this battle ... and to do what I can to reach out to others I know in this battle ...

These days, my dad and I have worked TOGETHER as a team, both of us now diagnosed with prostate cancer --- we know everyone back in my hometown and between both of us, we know almost everyone in the surrounding towns across the county, as well --- since Dad and I are BOTH prostate cancer patients, our story has reached a WIDE range of people that we know --- word-of-mouth, downtown coffee shop conversation --- father and son BOTH now diagnosed and engaged in the battle together --- and our story is able to impact a wider range of fellows, since we represent two different generations. I travel to my hometown about once a month, and together Dad and I have shared our story first-hand with other fellows in countless ways --- at the barber shop, the church gatherings, the cafes & restaurants, the coffee shops, the sporting events, the local pubs, the country club at the golf course, the high school class reunions, the 4th of July celebrations in my hometown, and on the streets of town ---

In my mind, I call this a "handshake campaign" because each conversation that Dad and I have with all of these fellows begins and ends with a handshake, signaling years of friendship ... and having a father and son sharing the story TOGETHER is pretty powerful ... and my dad and I have an incredible bond in all of this, beyond all words to describe. We BOTH are inspired by my grandfather's fighting spirit, all these years later, and the imprint it left upon both of us ...

Since then, friends of ours HAVE gone to the doctor after talking with Dad and with me ... and SEVERAL of our friends have since been diagnosed with prostate cancer and are now pursuing active treatments. Frankly, it's sobering to have a friend of yours receive a prostate cancer diagnosis, but it's GRATIFYING when they start pursuing the treatments that might save their life. Cancer IS out there, my friends ... and one of YOUR friends or colleagues or neighbors or classmates or golfing partners or poker club buddies probably has it right now, and they don't even know it. Prostate cancer has been described as a silent, but potentially deadly intruder. Almost all of us have this common thread in our story and here are our words: "I'd been healthy my entire life, until the day I received my unexpected diagnosis." I guess my heartfelt message is this ... find your VOICE and help get the word out to your friends, colleagues, and community members ... in whatever way you can do so ...

On my own, one-by-one, I've had the man-to-man family conversations with my younger brother, my male cousins who all grew up with me, my uncles, and even my six nephews who are all growing up --- all the males relatives in my entire family. Based on family history, they NEED to pay careful attention to their health, going forward. I feel even closer to all of them after having that conversation ...

In my own life, I now have five or six direct friends who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. We're all about the same age, and I've got a tight bond of friendship with each one of them ... friends from my hometown, my old college roommate, a work connection colleague, and community friends --- diagnosed after they heard my story and went to the doctor. One night, my old college roommate called me and said, "I don't know how to tell you this, but after I went to the doctor at your urging, I just found out I'm in your same boat now ... I just got diagnosed with prostate cancer." True story ... we've been friends for DECADES ... I was best man at his wedding ... he's like a brother to me ... now BROTHERHOOD has an even deeper meaning.

Another testimonial about the importance of the conversations that we can have with other fellows ... when I was first diagnosed, one of my best friends would check on me when I was going through chemo treatments, just out of friendship and support. One day my friend asked me, "Is there ANYTHING I can do for you?" I replied and said, "Yes, actually ... there IS something ... would you do me a big favor ... and just have your PSA checked, since you have always been a friend to me through the years ... you've got a wife and young children at home to think about." Sure enough, in due time ... he got the news ... he has now also been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, and had lived a life of perfect health and fitness. Now our bond of friendship is even tighter, and we are "Battle Brothers" alongside each other ... again, a friend who has always been like a brother to me ...

Together, my "Battle Brothers" and I have found ways meaningful ways to spread the word to others in the community --- we've shared our stories with our male work colleagues .... with our female work colleagues with husbands at home ... with entire church congregations ... and at community events ... and we're still finding new ways to share our stories, in the interest of getting others to take a more proactive approach with their health, with special emphasis on the importance of knowing about the impact of prostate cancer in men's health. Meanwhile, the handshakes and conversations continue ...

Just some thoughts and reflections, based on my life experiences,
"Cyclone Fan" From Iowa State

CycloneFan,

Since there is no "like" button on these forums...Thank You for your inspiring post. And, best wishes to you.