Linda and Ella
About six years ago
Breast cancer and prostate cancer have some things in
common. For one, they are
gender-specific: yes, men get breast cancer, but very rarely. Women don’t get prostate cancer for the good
and sufficient reason that they have no prostate. (This, ladies, is a blessing. Take it from someone with an old and cranky
prostate.) Each type of cancer is the
most prevalent for its respective sex. Also,
breast cancer and prostate cancer generate lots of press: pink ribbons abound (as well they should),
and articles about prostate cancer choke the news. Now there is even a book about prostate
cancer or, more accurately, whether or not to use the PSA antigen as a
biomarker. I wrote about the Prostate
Cancer Wars way back on March 27, 2012, and have reported new battles in a
bunch of Comments. Go back and read
to get up to speed.
A few weeks ago The
Economist reviewed a book titled “The Great Prostate Hoax: How Big Medicine
Hijacked the PSA Test and Caused a Public Health Disaster.” Read it yourself (the review, not the book)
at:
The authors of this book are strongly against using PSA for
diagnosis. They have the creds: the
first author is a U. of Arizona professor who claims to have discovered PSA in
the first place. Apparently at times
their opposition becomes hyperbolic, even shrill; The Economist firmly dislikes both.
(I cannot comment as I have not read the book, and don’t plan to.) In spite of any literary deficiencies the book
apparently reports material for several valuable insights. Two huge clinical studies are cited, one of
which reported very little reduction of mortality by PSA screening, whereas the
other found a definite benefit for men in 50-69 age range. Both studies found high quantities of
unnecessary worry and medical expense associated with PSA screening. Many men have elevated PSA but no cancer; further
(expensive) tests are required. Many actual cancers discovered are “indolent”;
they pose no real threat, but they scare the hell out of the patient and may
result in unnecessary surgery. A blood
marker for cancer avidity is needed, but does not exist. Maybe all men should get a “baseline” PSA
done at age 40. Or maybe not.
So, what they heck.
As an octogenarian I am going to use “watchful waiting” if my PSA goes
up. As a person mostly interested in
ovarian cancer I am going to try to avoid prostate cancer articles in the future. And as a sloppy eater: Anybody know how to get peanut butter off
your computer keys?
it's that the sweetest picture <3
ReplyDeleteIt took me about 20 minutes to read the review. It took me about 45 minutes to write and edit the blog text. It took me about 5 minutes to select the picture. IT TOOK ME OVER AN HOUR TO PERSUADE GOOGLE PRIME TO LET ME POST ANYTHING! What ever would we do without computers? Something useful maybe. Or even something fun? Naw, we'd just waste our time. Yah think?
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