The Big C

[dadagoboi]

The P.S.A. (Prostate Specific Antigen) test assigns a number and usually anything over 4 at any time is cause for concern of the possibility of developing prostate cancer.  This study zeros in on the P.S.A. number at age 60 as a predictor of the probability of dying from the disease.  The PSA (blood) test costs around $70 in my area if you're uninsured.

BTW Prostate cancer is more common in men than breast cancer is in women.

From Today's New York Times:
"About one in four men will have a P.S.A. score of 2.0 or higher at the age of 60, and most of them will not develop prostate cancer, said the study's lead author, Andrew Vickers, associate attending research methodologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. But the score does put them in a higher-risk group of men who have more to gain from regular screening, he concluded.

The higher the score at age 60, the greater the long-term risk of dying from prostate cancer, Dr. Vickers and his colleagues found. Men with a score of 2.0 or higher at age 60 were 26 times more likely to eventually die of the disease than 60-year-old men with scores below 1.0.

Still, the absolute risks for men with elevated scores were lower than might be expected. A 60-year-old man with a P.S.A. score just over 2.0 had an individual risk of dying from prostate cancer during the next 25 years of about 6 percent, the researchers found. A 60-year-old man with a P.S.A. score of 5 had about a 17 percent risk.

"Most of those men are going to be absolutely fine," said Dr. Vickers. "But they can be told they are at high risk and they need screening."

Men with a P.S.A. score of 1.0 or lower at age 60 had a very low individual risk of death from prostate cancer over the next 25 years, the study found: just 0.2 percent.

"They can be reassured that even if they have prostate cancer or get it, it's unlikely to become life-threatening," said Dr. Vickers. "There's a strong case that they should be exempted from screening."

The advice is less clear for men with scores between 1.0 and 2.0 at the age of 60. They still have a very low individual risk of dying from prostate cancer, judging from the new data. The long-term risk of dying from prostate cancer ranged from about 1 percent to 3 percent for these men, and the decision to screen may depend on their personal views and family histories, Dr. Vickers said.

While the findings don't answer all of the questions associated with P.S.A. screening, they should give peace of mind to sizable numbers of men who decide not to continue regular testing. The results also will reassure men who decide to continue with regular screenings that the benefits most likely outweigh the risks."

Complete article:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/simplifying-the-decision-for-a-prostate-screening/?src=me&ref=general

[Aussie Mark]

Is the test more accurate than the Doc shoving a gloved index finger in your Khyber?

[Hornisse]

http://www.thekhyber.com/

[dadagoboi]

Is the test more accurate than the Doc shoving a gloved index finger in your Khyber?

Depends on the doctor.  Mine's in his mid 50s and is a prostate cancer survivor.  Let's just say he's very thorough with his exam.  Since my father died from the disease I grin and bear it.  Basically the test has been called into question recently as to what the numbers mean, some doctors see the slightest rise in PSA as a money making opportunity to order a biopsy.  I've known my doc since he was in high school, I trust him.

[Denis]

Is the test more accurate than the Doc shoving a gloved index finger in your Khyber?

Ah ha! I wonder what Pink Floyd meant when they titled that song, "Up The Khyber". And I always thought it was a reference to a river...

[uwe]

I sure hope the old advice is still true that regular ejaculations, whether auto- or second/third party-induced, are risk decreasing. Don't ruin my healthcare!

[jumbodbassman]

Is the test more accurate than the Doc shoving a gloved index finger in your Khyber?

After feeling violated for years i have found a decent looking female doctor.  For some reason it doesn't seem to hurt anymore.  If i can only get her to stick her tongue in my ear when she "tests" me next time. 

[gearHed289]

If i can only get her to stick her tongue in my....

I wasn't quite sure how that sentence was going to end. 

[dadagoboi]

After feeling violated for years i have found a decent looking female doctor.  For some reason it doesn't seem to hurt anymore.  If i can only get her to stick her tongue in my ear when she "tests" me next time. 

I figure a guy who has had the disease knows what to look for, call me sexist.  It certainly was different from the female M.D who did the previous, almost 'excuse me' exam.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

...and here I was thinking this was going to be about the show of the same name on Showtime starring Laura Linney. You guys REALLY need to deal with this anal fixation. I've got hemorrhoids. 

[Lightyear]

...I've got hemorrhoids. 

They fix those with rubber bands now 

No "easy to use" at home kit that I've heard of yet

[Hornisse]

I sure hope the old advice is still true that regular ejaculations, whether auto- or second/third party-induced, are risk decreasing. Don't ruin my healthcare!

+1

[lowend1]

I sure hope the old advice is still true that regular ejaculations, whether auto- or second/third party-induced, are risk decreasing. Don't ruin my healthcare!

That reminds me, it's time for my treatment

[Highlander]

Prostate cancer took my paternal grandfather (age 74), and other forms took both my parents (65/78)

no point in going for medical insurance to include cancer for me...

[uwe]

Since when is England America and you're not automatically all-encompassing health-insured?