tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post9160130619070747457..comments2024-03-26T00:25:34.026-04:00Comments on Not Running a Hospital: Crowdsourcing my PSA test choicePaul Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065446378970179507noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-13433814701226561712011-10-20T19:35:31.155-04:002011-10-20T19:35:31.155-04:00Interesting use of crowd sourcing :) I would say t...Interesting use of <a href="http://www.viachallenge.com" rel="nofollow">crowd sourcing</a> :) I would say to skip it if you expect the results won't tell you anything useful either way.<br />-JackieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-49439675978770779612011-10-01T14:53:44.784-04:002011-10-01T14:53:44.784-04:00I'm a graduate student in biochemistry who did...I'm a graduate student in biochemistry who did a lot of research about this between my husband's biopsy and diagnosis (losing several pounds from the stress of reading the literature in the process). According to an article just published in the Annals of Oncology, it depends on your level. With a level below 3 ng/ml, screening in men over 50 can have intervals of greater than 3 years and be fine. I've read another study that suggested that a single test around age 60 is just as predictive of future problems as the current annual screening. From our traumatic experience (and my microscopist-suspicion of the biopsy result images), I would PASS.Mitzihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11434102521485941286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-66335571147396116842011-09-21T10:04:31.351-04:002011-09-21T10:04:31.351-04:00It is not either-or, Elon.
BTW, @jordangrumet, ab...It is not either-or, Elon.<br /><br />BTW, @jordangrumet, above, is a primary care doctor.Paul Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17065446378970179507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-23892202183161196362011-09-21T08:11:47.686-04:002011-09-21T08:11:47.686-04:00Why don't you get the traditional test instead...Why don't you get the traditional test instead?Elonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-45968052442426953502011-09-21T08:04:24.425-04:002011-09-21T08:04:24.425-04:00I vote skip myself - 61 year old male Internist. I...I vote skip myself - 61 year old male Internist. I'd rather take the very small risk of cancer than contribute to the overmarketed, highly profitable, industry-driven prostate screening scam. I see too many men who think they are cancer-survivors -I think that what they survived was the treatment for elevated psa. Seventy percent of older men will have cancer cells in their prostates. Take a pass. JD Fitzjdfitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10195109712990007850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-69576494038178654022011-09-20T23:46:08.753-04:002011-09-20T23:46:08.753-04:00From Facebook:
What about waiting a year or two? ...From Facebook:<br /><br />What about waiting a year or two? Since you are in good health, have no symptoms, and don't seem to be at risk, you might decide to have the test after your next physical or the one after.Patricianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-121962602080030242011-09-20T23:42:48.720-04:002011-09-20T23:42:48.720-04:00From Twitter:
I tell my family to skip it.From Twitter:<br /><br />I tell my family to skip it.@jordangrumetnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-21304652543578248852011-09-20T22:33:11.085-04:002011-09-20T22:33:11.085-04:00stress in itself can be as dangerous as cancerstress in itself can be as dangerous as cancerLaurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15758657604386957490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-21088621372711671822011-09-20T21:52:09.428-04:002011-09-20T21:52:09.428-04:00Seems like a no-brainer but somehow the whole idea...Seems like a no-brainer but somehow the whole idea of cancer screening, first popularized by Dr. Bloodgood of JHH in 1923, holds sway over both the medical profession and lay public, despite the likelihood the tools (such as the PSA) are next to worthless. There is something extremely powerful about the illusion of believing in our ability to predict the future. This is even more powerful when veiled in the trappings of technology.The Medical Contrarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09240492315542223258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-36414130000503928042011-09-20T13:02:26.265-04:002011-09-20T13:02:26.265-04:00My father had the PSA test with elevated levels (b...My father had the PSA test with elevated levels (borderline, really) and had a needle biopsy to find out that he has the non-aggressive type of prostate cancer. The needle biopsy was not without its complications and he landed in the ER with a variety of infections (and subsequent allergies to antibiotics). He is not receiving treatment at this time, and he is proceeding with his life normally.<br /><br />I think it's not so much about the test itself, it's about what you would do with the information. If you were to have a borderline high result would you take action, or not?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04933882941280397753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-4663999180600872742011-09-20T11:32:17.253-04:002011-09-20T11:32:17.253-04:00From Facebook:
Ask Otis Brawley, MD, who during a...From Facebook:<br /><br />Ask Otis Brawley, MD, who during an interview with me in the early part of the last decade, pooh poohed the psa, to see if he has changed his mind. He is now the chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. He pooh poohed it, even though he acknowledged that as an African American, he has a higher risk of prostate cancer.Cheryl Clarknoreply@blogger.com