An article Howard has been developing for some time, The Swinging Pendulum of PSA Screening, was finally published this morning. It included not just thorough research (as always!) but interviews with significant names …. and I do NOT include myself in that crew. One of those names was USPSTF Chair, Dr. Alex Krist who agreed with many of us “that (prostate cancer) overtreatment could have been prevented if doctors used the PSA information more judiciously.”
Howard’s article goes on to quote Dr. Krist ….
“Back in 2012, the data actually showed that that’s not what was being done.In fact, 90% of men with low-grade prostate cancers were getting surgery and radiation,” said Krist. “And we know today that that is overtreatment, and the treatment patterns changed between 2012 and 2018 [when USPSTF again reviewed its PSA guidelines].”
What breaks my own heart are the number of men now diagnosed so late that their disease is already metastatic resulting from not being PSA tested and its D Grade awarded by the USPSTF … and many of these men are in their 40’s and 50’s. Just last week we buried a 55 yr old man with two young kids diagnosed de novo metastatic in 2016. He had a family history … a reasonably intelligent GP should have known that and tested his PSA starting at 40 or 45. And he should have been tested for an inherited mutation and never was … but that’s a whole different blog post!
Remember, PSA TESTING IS ABOUT INFORMATION NOT TREATMENT! What you and your doctor do with that information is between you …and that is why you have to be your own best advocate. That said, without information, it’s tough to advocate!
Things don’t always go the way we plan … or want.- from the recent elections to our health, to just taking care of daily biz. We have to be careful how that impacts the way we interact with others. Peter’s thoughts crystalllize how our emotions can impact many more than just us (rd)
“WINNING AND LOSING”
As I sit at my desk, it is Monday morning November 2nd the day before election day. I woke up this morning thinking of this theme and how applicable it is to those of us dealing with a cancer diagnosis. In our case a diagnosis of Prostate Cancer.
For 24 years my final career was as a maintenance supervisor for Haleakala National Park. One of my duties in that position was to be a Heli-Manager. This involved coordinating and managing the ground operations for the periodic use of contract helicopters that we used to transport firewood and other materials to the Park’s historic backcountry cabins. This job had many inherent dangers including hooking up a swivel cable to the belly of a helicopter hovering just a foot or two over my head, loading cargo nets with materials to be sling loaded to the drop sites, calculating the weights of each load, ensuring the safety of myself and that of the rest of my ground crew and communicating by radio to the pilot and others of my crew on the receiving end of the cargo. It was a lot to keep track of, and it required a high level of intensity and concentration.
One Monday morning during this operation one of my employees came to work, and his home state professional football team had lost in the playoffs the day before. He was pretty bummed out. So bummed out that I didn’t take it seriously at first. Afterall, football was just a game in my mind. Life goes on. But in his mind, it was pretty close to the end of the world. I tried my best to get him to “let it go”. But he would not drop his gloomy attitude of defeat. It was so pervasive in him and he would not stop talking about it to the rest of the crew. It was becoming a big distraction and for the safety of our task at hand I had to send him off to do another job on his own far away from our helicopter operations.
I bring up this story because it is all too easy to associate a cancer diagnosis with somehow losing. This can be an insidious and infectious attitude that can not only weigh down ourselves, but those around us including family, friends and even our medical support community. An exaggerated negative attitude and clinging to the feeling that one has “lost” can be a dangerous distraction.
In the bigger picture, we have not lost. Our bodies might be quite challenged due to our diagnosis, but we still have a vital part to play in our family, our workplace, our community and it is NOT to infect all of these others with a bummed-out attitude lest we drive them away, and we quickly will.
Our attitude, like diet and exercise is one of the key things that we have absolute control over. In my own experience if I find myself starting to wake up on the wrong side of the bed, I rearrange the furniture and put THAT side of the bed against the wall so that I have to wake up on the RIGHT side. Bottom line, take responsibility for your own attitude!
AnCan was deeply honored to co-present the webinar “Prostate Cancer Connections: Genetics, Genomics and Prostate Cancer” with US Too International.
For the second of our three Prostate Cancer Connections webinars, we offer a discussion on genetics, genomics and prostate cancer. About this exciting emerging topic, panelist Katie Stoll states, “Genetic testing technology is changing rapidly and there are a growing number of genetic testing options available. We’re here to help you sort through the wealth of information in this new age of genetics. Our goal is to provide objective expertise and latest developments.”
Recorded on Thursday, October 15, 2020, you’ll enjoy hearing from distinguished panelists Heather H. Cheng, MD, PhD (Director, Prostate Cancer Genetics Clinic, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance), Katie Stoll, MS, LGC (Executive Director, Genetic Support Foundation), James Barrett DeLong (Patient Perspective, University of Washington School of Social Work, Lecturer Emeritus), Janet Shimabukuro (Patient Perspective).
Watch this outstanding webinar here:
For information on our peer-led video chat ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE PROSTATE CANCER VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUP, click here.
To SIGN UP for the Group or any other of our AnCan Virtual Support groups, visit our Contact Us page.
Dr. Brian Helfand, (Head of Urology at NorthShore University HealthSystem) gave the second webinar in the four-part series called “Active Surveillance & Beyond” on September 29, 2020. His topic was genomics, genetics, and decision-making in active surveillance. He explains the pros and cons of the leading tests in the field and who may be a candidate for such testing. We want to thank Dr. Helfand for taking the time to answer several of our attendees’ questions at the end of his excellent presentation.
Also making an appearance, our AS Virtual Support Group moderators and community members, Joe Gallo, Elliot Kerman, Howard Wolinsky. Including special guests: Jim Schraidt (Chairman of Us TOO), and Beau Stubblefield-Tave (Executive Director at Us TOO).
Watch this fascinating and informative webinar here:
Our “Active Surveillance & Beyond” webinar series here at AnCan has been wildly popular. With top medical experts in AS giving incredible presentations and answering your questions, it’s a hit for a reason. We had the pleasure of having Dr. Peter Carroll (Department of Urology, UCSF), who is considered a pioneer in AS, start us off with a blast!
Hear his thoughts on biopsies, who best qualifies for AS, and how he uses AS in his own practice. We want to thank Dr. Carroll for answering so many of our attendees’ questions. You’ll also see our own AS Virtual Support Group moderators and community members, Joe Gallo, Mark Lichty, Elliot Kerman, Howard Wolinsky, and special guest: Jim Schraidt, Chairman of USTOO.
