SayItAintSoJoe Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Link I'm reading more and more things lately that are discouraging, or flat out discrediting, the PSA test for prostate cancer. I’ve heard that most men, if they live long enough, will get prostate cancer but will end up dying from something else. If you were going to be one of these men would you even want to know you had prostrate cancer? Maybe they should just test men from 45 to 60 and if they don’t show signs of prostrate cancer by then they should stop getting tested. I don’t know. I’m confused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 If you were going to be one of these men would you even want to know you had prostrate cancer? ?? You're asking if I'd want to know if I had cancer? You're kidding right? Can't speak to the PSA test. We've made considerable strides in cancer, but seems our medical community of "experts" is still so effed up generally and has been for a long time. Hey this helps, oh no it doesn't, hey this food or whatever is bad, no wait it's good, no it's neither or both or etc etc. And I've seen horrific incompetence/attitudes from even the best of places. Scary chit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Man, are you desperate for something to worry about? OK, the PSA test is not reliable. There are other ways to monitor prostate health. One involves a doctor and a glove. Get that once a year, and if you experience low or interupted flow, an increase in frequency or an reduced ability to completely empty your bladder, (don't you watch television?) you might have a reason for concern. I got one for ya... worry about world peace too. Which BTW reminds me of one of my favorite bumper sticker... Visualize Whirled Peas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice1 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 (edited) No action due to a test result causes death. If your PSA is elevated you go to the next level. If you have prostate cancer there are multiple different treatment options. MD Anderson BTW, is the best in country offering great treatment options that do not require surgery. Prostate cancer is very treatable. Whenever I see this type of research it further shows why any government funded healthcare system is really bad. It doesn't matter based on millions on a table so this is groundwork to not reimburse annual tests. If you have prostrate cancer you are a fool not to treat it. Once you hit 50 you should get tested as early treatment works. It is true that prostate cancer is very common as one ages but also true the spread rate is quite different from one to another. I guess if you want to live in the dark that is fine but cancer is not the type of death I would think one would want. It is not sudden. BTW, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men and very treatable regardless of which type of test you prefer. Not sure how much better it is than a gloved finger but it is a hell of a lot easier. Edited January 6, 2012 by Ice1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Neutron Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Scary factioid: I have 21 commercial drivers that work for me. Three of them have been diagnosed with prostate cancer within the last two years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoopazz Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 No action due to a test result causes death. If your PSA is elevated you go to the next level. If you have prostate cancer there are multiple different treatment options. MD Anderson BTW, is the best in country offering great treatment options that do not require surgery. Prostate cancer is very treatable. Whenever I see this type of research it further shows why any government funded healthcare system is really bad. It doesn't matter based on millions on a table so this is groundwork to not reimburse annual tests. If you have prostrate cancer you are a fool not to treat it. Once you hit 50 you should get tested as early treatment works. It is true that prostate cancer is very common as one ages but also true the spread rate is quite different from one to another. I guess if you want to live in the dark that is fine but cancer is not the type of death I would think one would want. It is not sudden. BTW, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men and very treatable regardless of which type of test you prefer. Not sure how much better it is than a gloved finger but it is a hell of a lot easier. Is there anything you don't know all about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 MD Anderson BTW, is the best in country offering great treatment options that do not require surgery. Prostate cancer is very treatable. One of the best, you mean. Homer. And I could tell you horror stories about that place, but I guess that's the same for anywhere. It is impressive in numerous ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Is there anything you don't know all about? he is a little off on the football thing but other wise...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice1 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Is there anything you don't know all about? Obviously, I know very little about socks after reading that thread. Medical stuff is in my wheel house though as I have been in the industry since 1980 and deal with all types of surgeons and anesthesiologists on a regular basis. One picks up a few things when spending years in operating rooms and keeping up with medical technology. I was also able to get my dad in the next generation proton prostate treatment program launched at MD Anderson a few years back. Basically they are now able to reduce the sessions using higher bursts per session and in his case the results were fantastic. Cutting the sessions by roughly 1/2 was pretty big news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice1 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 (edited) One of the best, you mean. Homer. And I could tell you horror stories about that place, but I guess that's the same for anywhere. It is impressive in numerous ways. Hahaha, no doubt, I could probably tell horror stories about most hospitals. I sold this facility anesthesia monitors many years ago when they got rid of their Sara System and spent months in that place in every operating room. Some surgeries were so long they had to work in shifts. One sees lots of things that are down right scary but overall they are great when it comes to cancer research and treatment. One of the best is a fair correction. Edited January 7, 2012 by Ice1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice1 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 he is a little off on the football thing but other wise...... Hey now, I am a legend in my own mind on all things fantasy football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SayItAintSoJoe Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 ?? You're asking if I'd want to know if I had cancer? You're kidding right? Can't speak to the PSA test. We've made considerable strides in cancer, but seems our medical community of "experts" is still so effed up generally and has been for a long time. Hey this helps, oh no it doesn't, hey this food or whatever is bad, no wait it's good, no it's neither or both or etc etc. And I've seen horrific incompetence/attitudes from even the best of places. Scary chit. Nope, I'm not kidding. The rate of prostate cancer found in men drastically increases with age. In men who die over the age of 90 it's almost 100%. So the older you get the greater the chances that you will die with (but not necessarily from) prostate cancer. So the question is more along the lines of at what age do you stop labeling people with cancer who suffer from a cancer that is so common it is almost a certainty that you will get it if you live long enough. It's like the doctor in the article states, "Somebody who is never going to suffer adverse effects of a disease, if you label them with cancer, you're kind of doing them a disservice". I'm in my early forties so of course I would want to know. Ask me again when I'm 70 and I may have a different answer for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Maybe I'm still missing something. But it sounds like you and maybe he is saying it might not be worth knowing you have prostate cancer because it MIGHT not be the thing that kills you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I just happened to cross paths with this thread, while doing a search for something else completely. Ironically, it happens to hit home for me... My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Monday. From what I understand, he had eight biopsies done (all within the prostate itself), and all of them came back as positive for cancer. I'm not even going to pretend to be an expert on the matter. In fact, I know very little about it, which is probably why the news was difficult/scary for me to hear. But, it sounds like there is a good chance that they caught it early enough for it to be very treatable. We'll know more next week... He's scheduled for two scans (one being a bone scan) this coming Monday. I'm hoping that's standard procedure, for this type of diagnosis, and not an indicator that the doctor thinks it has spread. It's very difficult to hear bits and pieces of information (mostly from my mom), not knowing what's being left out. Not that she would intentionally not tell me something, but just that she's telling me in layman's terms what they heard from the doctor, and sometimes things get explained with a certain amount of interpretation included. Nevertheless, I'm obviously anxious to find out not only what the scan results will be, but what options there are for treatment, etc. The other thing that I can't help but think about is my dad's outlook on all of this. He can be somewhat stubborn, and I hope he's taking this seriously. My mom says he's going about his business, as usual (he owns his own shop), and we both can't help but wonder if he's somewhat in denial. There's no coincidence that his appointments (for the biopsies, the biopsy results, and now the scans) have been scheduled on three consecutive Mondays. His shop is open Tuesday through Saturday, so he's scheduling his doctor's appointments on his days off, even though they could be done sooner. In other words, he likely could have schedued the scans for this week, and just closed his shop for a half-day, but he chose not to do so. Sounds like his doctor has stated that, assuming the cancer is still contained in just the prostate (and hasn't spread), there are a number of options, surgery being at the top of his list. My grandfather, as well as my dad's older brother, both had prostate surgery, and I think my dad has mixed feelings about having surgery himself. Not that he wouldn't have the surgery, if it came down to that, but maybe just whether or not it's the best option available. I'd be interested in hearing about other alternatives, if anybody has first-hand knowledge and/or information on other treatment options. My dad is 62 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I have always heard that it is a very slow cancer. My wife's family friend (Pastor Paul) went for his check up one year and everything came back clean. Then 2 years later went in and tested positive for some type of elevated 'marker' in his blood. They check and his prostate was enlarged so they took a biopsy. He had prostate cancer. The following year he went down hill fast and passed away. I've seen my fair share of family and friends go through cancer and some make it while so do not. I've seen a woman with breast cancer that had spread through multiple organs make a full recovery and I've seen a 2nd cousin pass from skin cancer. My wife has regular (4 months) appointment with her dermatologist because she has skin cancer that crops up all the time (something in the female genetics in her family - her mother goes through it and so does her grandmother). The one thing that I have learned is never underestimate what cancer can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Nope, I'm not kidding. The rate of prostate cancer found in men drastically increases with age. In men who die over the age of 90 it's almost 100%. So the older you get the greater the chances that you will die with (but not necessarily from) prostate cancer. So the question is more along the lines of at what age do you stop labeling people with cancer who suffer from a cancer that is so common it is almost a certainty that you will get it if you live long enough. It's like the doctor in the article states, "Somebody who is never going to suffer adverse effects of a disease, if you label them with cancer, you're kind of doing them a disservice". I'm in my early forties so of course I would want to know. Ask me again when I'm 70 and I may have a different answer for you. I think you're missing an important bit of information. Yes, you will probably get prostate cancer if you live to be old enough and yes, it probably won't kill you. If you treat it once it's detected. If you don't, it very well could kill you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 That's around your taint isn't it. And I thought I read that the more times you nut per day, the less likely you are to get prostate cancer. I should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 That's around your taint isn't it. And I thought I read that the more times you nut per day, the less likely you are to get prostate cancer. I should be fine. A whackectomy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 PSA is bullchit imo, they put my Dad through all that chit and he died of pancreatic cancer, i'm done goin ta Dr's and if i get cancer i'm sure as hell not gonna take anything for it but morphine from a Hospice nurse. I cough blood chit blood and don't really care, i have a fine tuned body Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 A good place to start for all around info: http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/ProstateCance...prostate-cancer Gopher sorry to hear about this and best to him. Two main things to say offhand are that it's one of the most common cancers and one of the most treatable, so take heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chargerz Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Yes, you will probably get prostate cancer if you live to be old enough and yes, it probably won't kill you. If you treat it once it's detected. If you don't, it very well could kill you. This. I get a PSA test every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 You can literally bet your a$$ I would want to know: The stages of prostate cancer play a role in prostate cancer survival rates. Based on historical data: •91 percent of prostate cancer cases are diagnosed while the cancer is still confined to the primary site (localized stage) or after the cancer has spread to regional lymph nodes or directly beyond the primary site •5 percent of prostate cancer cases are diagnosed after the cancer has already metastasized (distant stage) •4 percent of prostate cancer cases had staging information that was unknown. The corresponding 5-year relative prostate cancer survival rates were: •100 percent for localized or regional •33.3 percent for distant •79.5 percent for unstaged. http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/prost...what-they-mean: Taking that into consideration, the relative survival rates for most kinds of prostate cancer are actually pretty good. Remember we're not counting men with prostate cancer who die of other causes: 99% of men with prostate cancer overall will survive more than five years after diagnosis. For the more than 90% of men whose prostate cancer is localized to the prostate or just nearby, the prognosis is even better. Almost 100% of these men will live at least five years. Another way to put this last point is nine out of 10 men with prostate cancer have localized cancer. Almost none of these men will die from their prostate cancer over five years. Fewer men (about 5%) have more advanced prostate cancer at the time of diagnosis. Once prostate cancer has spread beyond the prostate, survival rates fall. For men with distant spread (metastasis) of prostate cancer, about one-third will survive for five years after diagnosis. Many men with prostate cancer actually will live much longer than five years after diagnosis. What about longer-term survival rates? According to the American Cancer Society: The relative 10-year survival rate is 91%. The relative 15-year survival rate is 76%. I don't know if the PSA helps or not, I get the Shocker! once a year. Best of luck to your Dad, Gopher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebellab Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 My mom is a nurse and my dad stopped to pick her up for lunch one day. She said it would be a little bit so he should get his PSA checked as they didn't do it at his physical a month or so earlier. Well turns out it was high. He went on to take hormones over the summer to have his prostate removed in the fall, he was a farmer at the time and summer is a busy time. That was in 1993. Four years later his PSA was elevated and they did radiation for two months in 1997. He has not had any problems since and he has control of his bladder etc. Not sure about the sex thing. I am the youngest and my parents didn't have sex after I was conceived. At least in my mind. I am 37 and I get the yearly violation from the doctor and at some point yes, I will be doing the PSA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I am 37 and I get the yearly violation from the doctor and at some point yes, I will be doing the PSA. 37? What age are you supposed to receive the yearly doc shocker treatment? I thought it was higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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