"Harms" vs. Death

Friend and radio legend Gregg Campbell, who holds several academic records as a result of his singular college career, sent me the following link to an article entitled:

“New Data on the Harms of Prostate Cancer Testing”

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/new-data-on-harms-of-prostate-cancer-testing/

Once again we are treated to the drum beat to eliminate PSA testing from our arsenal of weapons in the fight against prostate cancer.

Quoting from the article, “Change is hard,” Dr. LeFevre said. “It’s hard for all of us, both within and outside the medical profession, to accept that not all cancers need to be detected or treated, and that there are harms associated with screening and not just benefits.”


We're being set up. Of course, the odds are in favor of most prostate cancers to be slow growing and non-lethal (non-lethal only because something else gets us first), so why not just not test, prevent potentially unnecessary and expensive (that's the key) treatment, and let the unfortunate few die? After all, we live too long and, as a consequence, consume too many Medicare/Medicaid dollars anyway. And there are those “harms” associated with screening.


The unfortunate few include a growing number of friends, and sons of friends, who have died of prostate cancer. These are not numbers, these are people.  People who would, I imagine, be happy to endure “harms” in place of a pine box.

Forty-two is too young to die

It catches me off guard every time.  Sitting in my office writing a letter when the radio in the background catches my attention with a news story about Brian C. McIntyre...a broadcast news person who died of prostate Cancer at the age of forty-two.

I stopped working for a few moments and thought about the, relatively, young life taken.  The effect of his loss upon family and friends and the contributions Brian may have made now lost.

Would early detection have prevented Brian's death?  I have no idea of the circumstances surrounding Brian's disease and treatment.  But I do know this, for most, with early detection and treatment prostate cancer is curable...not just treatable...curable!

Forty-two is too young to die.  DRE's and PSA tests are not infallible (far from it), but they're the best screening modalities currently available.  Don't hesitate...I don't want to hear any more stories like Brian's.