Maybe the PSA saves lives after all - NCI study

Federal Government Reverses Course,Now Sees Benefit of PSA Testing...
NCI Admits its Previous Prostate Cancer Study was ‘Contaminated’ Following the Release of New Data that Shows PSA Test Saves Lives

The nation’s leading authority on cancer has thrown out its own study on prostate cancer screening, now saying that PSA testing reduces the prostate cancer death rate by nearly 50 percent.

In its July 13th bulletin, the National Cancer Institute says findings from the Göteborg Randomized Population-Based Prostate Cancer Screening Trial - a study NCI partially funded in Sweden - shows “PSA screening substantially improves cancer-specific survival without the extent of over-diagnosisand overtreatment.” The Swedish study showed testing reduces the prostate cancer mortality rate by 44 percent. That prompted NCI to admit there was a “significant amount of contamination” in its earlier Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian study (PLCO), which suggested there was no mortality benefit with the PSA test.“Careless mistakes like this may be costing men their lives. You can’t publish that there is no value in getting tested if you don’t have the right data to back that claim up,” said Skip Lockwood, ZERO’s CEO.

“Admitting you were wrong is the first step - the American Cancer Society has yet to swallow its pride and come clean – so now NCI needs to take action to make things right,” said Lockwood.
In the bulletin, NCI says the PLCO data was contaminated because of “men in the trial who had already undergone screening with a PSA test, which a number of researchers have said may preclude the trial from ever demonstrating a cancer-specific survival improvement.” Regarding its new data from the Swedish study, NCI goes on to quote Dr. Eric Klein of the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute who says the “data suggesting that a baseline PSA in men in their 40s and subsequent PSA velocity (the rate of increase in PSA levels) can predict both lifetime risk of developing cancer and potentially lethal cancers.”

Why are Sick Old Men so Damn Funny?

…at least they THINK they are

Of course I’ve always considered myself wittier than the average geezer (my wife says half-witty) but recently I’ve noticed that most of the old guys I talk to who have prostate cancer are always laughing and joking. They seem to share a set of common characteristics:

• They are very knowledgeable about their condition and know what treatments have been tried, which worked (a little), and what their prognosis is so there are no surprises or illusions
• They are willing and able to discuss prostate cancer intelligently with anybody and don’t get into ‘poor me’ scenarios
• They are mostly cool, calm, and good natured
• And they have an underplayed, wicked, irreverent, dark sense of humor – particularly regarding their incurable condition. Jokes about incontinence and impotence abound (not much else can be done about these conditions at this point). Side effects, such as enlarged breasts, also make for witty, if not politically correct, repartee.

Is this the result of denial or senility? Possibly. Should we all be more serious? Maybe, but I don’t think so. Laughter is good medicine; even when it comes from bad jokes and unpunny puns. And we need all the good medicine we can get.

There will be plenty of time to worry and be serious later. There is NO evidence that being sane and serious lengthens life. So for now, let the pun times roll!

axman

You Sure Don’t Look Terminal

Prostate cancer doesn’t make you look very sick…

Whenever I go to one of my doctor’s offices (a disgustingly common occurrence) there will be people in the waiting room in wheel chairs, on crutches, holding oxygen tanks, coughing, bandaged from head to foot, or just sitting with a totally vacant stare. But I (prostate cancer and all) don’t show even the slightest symptom (unless you count gray hair and wrinkles)! I seem out of place around all those sick people.

When I’m around friends or in classes or even meeting people at social events and the conversation comes around to cancer (it always seems to among the old folks in my social circle) I answer their questions about my cancer. Then there’s always the, “Now way,” “Can’t be,” “You don’t look sick,” and “Are you sure” statements. Maybe if I was pale or limped or drooled (more)… I DO have a scar but don’t usually offer to display it in polite company or during casual conversations.

Most cancers, of course, don’t have a lot of visible symptoms – and in fact that’s not really so bad at all. Believe me, I’m happy with my invisible symptoms and hope I never get to the point when I’m obviously sick – even if it means not getting a lot of heartfelt sympathy.

axman