(Click on link to learn more about Prostate cancer and testing http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/ss/slideshow-prostate-cancer-overview)
How is it that a test which was thought to help prevent a deadly disease is now thought to be a deadly test? Over 20 million men receive an annual PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test that was thought to be the first step in preventing cancer, one highly recommended by most urologists, which has now received a distinct “thumbs down” by the government task team, United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) following an October 2011 report. The government team is standing by its recommendation against PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) screening for men.
The biggest question now to ask is why “not” be screened? It’s a scary thought for a man to second- guess his options, isn’t it? Better yet, what test can a man safely receive for PSA screening? Most importantly on everyone’s mind is, “How did this happen?”
At the heart of this dilemma, seems to be this one singular thought: Does PSA screening save more lives than it takes? That’s where the answer gets interesting. The “Pro’s and Con’s” seem to be summed up in several strong opinions:
A) Screening helps identify/find cancer
B) Several forms of cancer do not require treatment and can be left alone
C) Some cancers can cause death
Now, if that doesn’t sound confusing enough, here’s more on the subject by CNN Contributor “Dr. Otis W. Brawley is chief medical and scientific officer of the American Cancer Society and professor at Emory University. He is the author, with Paul Goldberg, of "How We Do Harm" (St. Martin's Press).”
“Does screening find some cancers that need to be cured and can be cured? After an exhaustive process, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has announced its final recommendation on PSA-based prostate cancer screening. It finds that the known harms of screening outweigh the potential benefits for men who have no cancer symptoms. It notes that all screening studies have demonstrated considerable harms associated with screening, but only one major study found evidence that screening saves lives -- and that study has some internal inconsistencies. It showed screening saves lives in the Netherlands and Sweden, but not in five other European countries. Even the positive parts of that study did not show a considerable increase in lives saved.” (http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/22/opinion/brawley-prostate-screening/index.html)
After 20 years of promoting PSA screening and over 1 million men later there seems to be a drastic change in advice. Pretty confusing? I should say so. So what are these “risks” that seem to outweigh the benefits?
The “United States Preventative Services Task Force” sent a clear message “against” PSA exams in their recent statement “against” routine PSA exams. According to Dr. Virginia Moyer, member of the task force, “only one out of every 1,000 men who are screened would actually benefit from the exam…..most will have to deal with side effects from treatment that can range from incontinence and impotence, to stroke and death. “Your primary care physician shouldn’t routinely offer the exam," said Moyer. "But if a patient brings it up, that Doctor has a responsibility to inform them of the potential harms and risk."
And if that sounds alarming, the response from the American Urological Association only adds to the pot: “We at the AUA still recommend the PSA, with its imperfections," said Dr. Chris Amling. "It’s the wrong thing to deny a man if he wants to have this test."
Not to be pessimistic, but as I see “health care reform” slowly being handed to our government, one has to ask the question: Is Uncle Sam slowly but surely going to start denying the average American needed testing in order to trim away at health care costs? Is it possible that insurance carriers are or will be lobbying for this type of logic (not only with PSA testing but with other types of preventative testing) in future health testing measures in the future? Just a thought, but maybe a good one to consider.
To learn more about the Task Force study, visit http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/prostatecancerscreening.htm
Quick Tips for Wellness: Weigh all your options before you make an informed decision for anything regarding your health/wellness.
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