(It hurts to even look at that.....)
Posted on 08/05/2008 1:38:43 PM PDT by neverdem
In a move that could lead to significant changes in medical care for older men, a national task force on Monday recommended that doctors stop screening men ages 75 and older for prostate cancer because the search for the disease in this group was causing more harm than good.
The guidelines, issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, represent an abrupt policy change by an influential panel that had withheld any advice regarding screening for prostate cancer, citing a lack of reliable evidence. Though the task force still has not taken a stand on the value of screening in younger men, the shift is certain to reignite the debate about the appropriateness of prostate cancer screening at any age.
Screening is typically performed with a blood test measuring prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, levels. Widespread PSA testing has led to high rates of detection. Last year, more than 218,000 men learned they had the disease.
Yet various studies suggest the disease is “overdiagnosed” — that is, detected at a point when the disease most likely would not affect life expectancy — in 29 percent to 44 percent of cases. Prostate cancer often progresses very slowly, and a large number of these cancers discovered through screening will probably never cause symptoms during the patient’s lifetime, particularly for men in their 70s and 80s. At the same time, aggressive treatment of prostate cancer can greatly reduce a patient’s quality of life, resulting in complications like impotency and incontinence.
Past task force guidelines noted there was no benefit to prostate cancer screening in men with less than 10 years left to live. Since it can be difficult to assess life expectancy, it was an informal recommendation that had limited impact on screening practices. The new guidelines take a more definitive stand, however, stating...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Will mammograms end too? I doubt it.
Every man I ever knew whose doctor parotted that “slow-growing” line of crap died of metastatic prostate cancer.
Well, it is a pain in the .................
In other words past 75 years old you don’t deserve health care. Illegals and others that are younger need it more than YOU.
Echoing Joycelyn Elder’s bit about how those old people are gonna die anyway and it is the young people who need health care because they are going to pay for her Social Security...
The rationing of health care begins now.
“Every man I ever knew whose doctor parotted that “slow-growing” line of crap died of metastatic prostate cancer.”
That’s the idea. Go die and stop taking “scare” medical resources. You’re too old for anyone to care about. DIe with dignity. You’re over the hill.
Sarcasm off.
Frank Zappa..............
Just one of the consequences of socialized medicine.
Not long ago, I posted an article that said the PSA tests were worthless.
Just think of that swelling prostate as the modern equivalent to the blinking, red lifeclock embedded in Logan’s palm.
Time’s up.
Carousel!!!
(It hurts to even look at that.....)
This is to give insurors an excuse for denying coverage.
A close family member of mine was a counter-example, although he had some other health problems at the time of diagnosis.
(It hurts to even look at that.....)
If you’re “gay” you’re envious you aren’t the demo model.
They love that kind of stuff.
That’s right. Keep the old farts clueless and in the dark.
Doctor’s know what’s best for you, just like politicians and lawyers.
Why don’t they give the patients the information and let them decide? Loss of their godlike powers>
Yahoo!
At last, something to look forward to in my old age.
On a more serious note.....
My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the early 1990’s.
He was 72 and in perfect health.
Back then, sorting out aggressive cancers from “watchful waiting” cancers was much less precise, so he made the decision to go with surgery.
Post surgery, he developed blood clots in his legs which moved into his lungs and almost killed him.
Turned out this was quite common, like 5% of men his age, so his risk from surgery was almost as high back then as his risk of dying from prostate cancer.
Diagnosis and treatment have made hugely beneficial advances in the last 15 years.
Where was the sarcasm? that’s exactly how they feel.
I think it was Asimov, among others in the science fiction community, that predicted this back in the 50s and early 60s.
I guarantee you they are not
What was the gist of that Blam? I have been a strong supporter of that test.
It’s a slippery slope. On the prostate issues, they’re saying age 75 is a cut off because these men are so old anyway. Just imagine the same reasoning applied to other conditions and just imagine the age limits changing arbitrarily.
If we go to socialized medicine, there will be some type of health care rationing. This type of standard may become common if that happens.
The lads over in Palm Springs prefer the doctor’s two hands on their shoulders during that procedure...
I don’t know about that... A PSA test gave my doctor an indication that I should have a biopsy done and prostate cancer was detected... I have just finished radiation treatments and am awaiting to see if they were successful...
I’ve read somewhere that older men who have intercourse regularly (2x per week or so) exercise the prostate enough to keep the risk of developing cancer low. So wouldn’t it be cheaper to get regular whoopie?
Hmmm, I wonder if actual sex is necessary, or whether the “hands-on” approach will work?
Down the road to Soylent Green we go
No they aren’t. What they are saying is that if prostate cancer is detected at 75 or older, the TREATMENT is likely to be WORSE then the “cure”. Rule #1 in medicine is “First do no harm”...
“In a move that could lead to significant changes in medical care for older men, a national task force on Monday recommended that doctors stop screening men ages 75 and older for prostate cancer because the search for the disease in this group was causing more harm than good.”
There goes whatever fun I have left in my life.
“2x per week or so” no, it was twice a day. Whoopie!
In a pinch I’d bet ya, one hand on the shoulder would be okay too. It’s the END result that counts.
2x per day for a 60 something geezer might keep the prostate in great shape, but it would wear out the heart, not to mention other muscles. Balance and moderation are the key.
That's the way I took it - at age 75 this October. The PSA test, I understand, detects cancer so early that it would be foolish to opt for treatment right away due to the side effects. The advise I got was that if PSA did discover it, keep the prostate under surveillance. If it grows fast then go for the surgery, otherwise go slow.
Yup. Get Hillary/Obama care up and running, and if you're over 65 and go to the ER with chest pain, they won't even bother with an EKG. They'll tell you to chew a few Tums and go home.
Ern, besides the hands on the shoulders, I understand they like to just use Gerbils to investigate the area, the Gerbil seems to titilate certain spots which in turn draws a audible response of” oooohhhh you big savage”.
Thanks Blam. What a pain in the ass. Now, lets get back to funding Breast Cancer research.
OK, let’s deny any health care to those over 65. Let’s go one better, let’s terminate anyone over 65. Take it further, anyone who does not agree with the almighty state, since they are defective. One country has been down that road before......
None of the treatments leave you a whole man, anyway. They just 'guess' that it might happen that way. Urologists getting rich off of false hope...
It doesn't say that it could kill them. It says that it could reduce "quality of life". The same buzz words used to sell consensual suicide, non-consensual euthanasia, and abortion.
The PSA test found mine. That was the only indicator.
Experience trumps journalism.
How many will understand your reference? At least Logan could run, the “geezer group” will have to shuffle along as best they can.
Secret to Towering Rogue Waves Revealed (waves can amplify instead of dissipating)
New Microscope Ditches The Lenses
Memory, depression, insomnia -- and worms?
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
There was an article here not long ago about older women not being given mammograms.
A team from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have developed a computer model to test the effectiveness of mammogram tests for breast cancer.
They found that mammography screening after the age of 69 results in only a small gain in life expectancy, and is only moderately cost-effective.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/554239.stm
I’ve got a unique idea. Don’t set age limits. Present all the options and let the patient decide.
I think that is wrong too Dianna. If I had seen that, I would have commented on it.
My instinct is still to disagree with this. Perhaps I could be convinced if I saw all the data. The same could be said for men an the prostate I suppose.
Exactly. Whether or not I'd think a mammogram is worthwhile, for myself, at 70 would depend upon any number of factors.
I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer on 7/3/08. I told the Doc I would burn his house down if I saw the biopsy vid on U Tube:) He said he had to take a few pics. I asked him if he was remaking “Braveheart” I’m scared out of my mind, but a good attitude helps from what I’m told. Surgery is scheduled for early Sept.
I wasn't trying to be snarky, I just remembered the article because it was posted not very long ago.
I wish I could manage the FR search better. There was another article recently talking about a cancer medication (I think) that costs $100,000 but only slows the cancer down for a handful of months.
I want to make these decisions for myself. I'd likely decline these types of tests and treatments, but I don't want anyone denying them for me.
A couple of year later his readings were up, they gave him female hormones for 90 days. Shrunk back to under 4 reading.
Died at 91 from other causes, but the prostate problem was arrested and may have given him another 6 years or so.
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