Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/10/07
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Oct 7, 2011, at 12:23 PM, Charlie Chan wrote: > If I may, I might interject, as my day job is as a cancer surgeon, > treating breast cancer and melanoma. > > The problem is to do with the balance of benefit v risk. Screening healthy > people is very different to treating people with symptoms. One day, > healthy people are walking down the street, the next they are facing a > life threatening diagnosis and all that entails. Biopsies, surgery with > possible complications etc. Problem with prostate cancer is that not all > prostate cancers are the same. Some people will get an more aggressive > form, but many people will have a more indolent version of the disease, > which doesn?t kill them. > > Like all screening tests, there will be ?false positives? ie positive test > results (eg PSA blood test) in people who don?t have cancer, as well as > ?false negative? tests - ie a normal PSA in someone with cancer (very > unusual in prostate cancer). The false positive group is the real issue in > screening as we can potentially do harm to healthy people who don?t have > cancer. Even in people who do have cancer, not all of them will develop > the aggressive type that becomes non-responsive to hormone drugs. A > radical prostatectomy has its problems including urinary incontinence and > inability to have erections. Sure, you would trade that if you had the > aggressive prostate cancer type, but maybe not if you had the indolent > version. Difficult thing is that we can?t tell which person has which type > yet. > > So, it?s not easy. Even breast screening with mammography is not as > straight forward as it seems. There are many who think (probably > correctly) that the benefits are far less than that which is trumpeted to > the public. thanks very much Charlie, I totally agree...a delicate balance of benefit-risk, and a dilemma that for the moment is settled by the current recomendation. Steve > > Best wishes, > > Charlie Chan > Cheltenham, UK > > topoxforddoc at btinternet.com > www.cancer-surgeon.co.uk > www.charlie-chan.co.uk > > > > On 7 Oct 2011, at 19:57, Gary Pinkerton wrote: > >> At first glance, it's as though they are saying that the screening itself >> (blood test) can cause problems. >> But, isn't it more about how the results of the screening are dealt with >> (unnecesary surgeries, biopsies, etc)? >> Of course, I'm easily confused, so maybe I'm misunderstanding what they >> are saying :) >> >>> From: steve.barbour at gmail.com >>> Date: Fri, 7 Oct 2011 11:40:05 -0700 >>> To: lug at leica-users.org >>> Subject: [Leica] OT Panel advises against prostate cancer screening - >>> Yahoo! News >>> >>> this subject came up in the recent past... >>> >>> >>> fyi >>> >>> >>> http://news.yahoo.com/panel-advises-against-prostate-cancer-screening-024452851.html >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information