More High Risk Prostate Cancer Than Before

[gusgold]

Surprise surprise...this is what happens when Gomer Pyle IQ's are running the show...these idiots tried to save money with the PSA test and now they got way more guys on $10,000 a month drugs.

Gus

medscape.com/viewarticle/89...

[Stegosaurus37]

That's me, all right. They stopped checking (Standards of Practice) when I hit age 70 and when I go in for difficulty urinating at age 75, I'm Gleason 9 metastasized and ADT resistant. So I ask my primary care physician - is Stegosaurus going to be the new normal; you won't catch it until it's too late to do anything? He hemmed and hawed and finally admitted, yes, if you're over 70 we won't catch it until it's too late. So much for "medical ethics".

[gusgold]

also since stegosaurus are extinct...you are the last one left

[Hidden]

Yeah, my GP, who is also an instructor at a medical school bought into that madness. He refused to authorize a PSA test along with my other lab work for my annual physical. And I was age 66. WTH? I did insist on a DRE and finally got it done on third visit. That told the story. Got referred to a urologist who was puzzled as to why I didn't have a PSA test. I'm not a doctor and I consider not adding an inexpensive PSA test to be insane. It's just common sense to use an inexpensive diagnostic test to prevent way more expensive treatments in the future. Penny wise and pound foolish.

[lincolnj8 in reply to Hidden]

Wow, I'm in great health and 4 months ago my PSA test (first ever) read 851. WTF. Now on Zytiga, prednisone and chemo. This should not happen to anyone. Something needs to be done.

[Tjc1]

PSA Test At Forty. End Of Story.

[Hidden]

I am cross posting my comment as it is very relevant here.

As one who 15 years ago had seeds implanted and a short course of 25 sessions of IRMT (planned primary treatment), my PSA never really came down. Started at 6.8, Gleason 7(4+3), my PSA never really came down. Bounced from 9.0 to 12.6 for six months after IMRT. Treated by Cipro, Bactrim, Indocin, and Urimax as it was felt that I have inflammation and infection. At seven months, PSA was 25.2; then 30.2, and finally 32.3. Had another set of scans revealed two mets and I received my first injection of Lupron, at one year. Point is that I had monthly PSA tests. They are not expensive and, at the time monthly PSA tests were standard protocol the month after internal and external radiation.

In my opinion what has taken place commencing six years ago when the U.S. Preventative Task Force recommended that PSA tests were too frequent and only served as a fear factor. To this I call, BS! Not one Prostate Cancer specialist served on this task force, neither Urologist nor Medical Oncologist; the bulk of which consisted of non-Physicians. Why?

Again my opinion, medical costs in preparation of socialized medicine; not lives. Is it me, or are most cases of Prostate Cancer today, designated as Advanced Prostate Cancer. In other words, I keep reading about men who when first diagnosed are diagnosed with involved cancer at Stage 4.

More emphasis is placed on Breast Cancer with very large sums of money raised for this research and more public awareness through early detection. Why? I understand that the mortality rate of Breast Cancer has fallen 10% in the past ten years while the mortality rate of Prostate Cancer has increased 10%,

My point, insist on monthly PSA tests. My case? I have had 85 PSA tests since diagnosed with Prostate Cancer on March 3, 2003. I had monthly test for the first three years; then went to quarterly for nine years and finally every 120 days for the past three years.

Gourd Dancer