Saturday, April 2, 2011

Prostate Screenings Hold No Benefit

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Watch out baldies...

Oh, and "the Prostate Cancer Charity disagrees with the new study." What a surprise! Didn't see that one coming!

pp

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at 11:33 PM
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2 comments:

  1. UnknownApril 3, 2011 at 6:58 AM

    I am tempted to point out how dangerous such an easily misinterpretted study can be to the layman, especially given the demographics of this website... it can't be a healthy suggestion on a blog dominated by aging males who clearly have something growing up their ass...

    But on second thought, please don't get screened. Please also just stop going to the doctor entirely, or screening for testicular cancer. That weird mole on your back? Don't worry about it. Just drink your beer and watch more TV, you'll be fine. If you get cancer, just walk it off (since your insurance probably won't cover it anyway).

    As pointed out here, the whole study is complicated by how old the study's data is and by the inclusion of multiple variables being tested. The results are more damning for PSA (prostate specific antigen testing) than for the DRE (digital rectal exam). In point of fact, "tumors in the screened group tended to be smaller and more localized." This is because cancers were caught earlier, and this does have a benefit for those seeking treatment (as it may have been caught before metastasis).

    I think the biggest problem with PSA testing is the high incidence of false positives, and that it is prostate specific. A DRE can catch colorectal cancers (as when a polyp is discovered), as well as prostate cancer.

    But like I said... if you're reading this, I probably don't care enough about your health to suggest you do what's best for extending your life. By al means, show those doctors where they can stick it...

    For those interested, the study can be read online here.

    ReplyDelete
  2. NickApril 3, 2011 at 9:27 AM

    Thanks for posting that additional info, Bret. I think it's important for people to have as much knowledge as possible on something that can affect their health.

    ReplyDelete

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