From MedPage Today
medpagetoday.com/hematology...
Being one who was steered to AS vs treatment after a positive cancer biopsy only to have the cancer out and about at surgery three years later, my reaction to the findings presented in this article are summed up well by those of AnCan PCa Advocate Rick Davis in the "comments" section at the end:
Rick Davis, May 25, 2020
"These data illustrate the trade-off between higher screening rates and more early-stage disease diagnoses (possibly overdiagnosis and overtreatment) and lower screening rates and more late-stage (possibly fatal) disease,"
Bravo investigators ...... but this is not brain surgery. PCa advocates submitted our comments in 2011/12 and again before 2016 warning of exactly this trade off. Maybe the problem was there were no brain surgeons on the USPSTF panel - for that matter, there were no urologists on the 2102 panel!!
These stats upset the PCa advocay community greatly. We are the ones working with younger men, often with kids in their tweens and teens, who wonder if they will see them graduate high school, never mind college. We at AnCan (ancan.org) now co-sponsor a virtual support group with UsTOO specifically for men under 60 with advanced PCa.
What USPSTF did was criminal - it has resulted in a significant uptick in PCa specific deaths that have increased 25% in number over the past 4 years. If nothing more, they should apologize and take responsibility. They were forewarned! (emphasis added)
Here is a link to Rick's AnCan profile:
A major patient support advocate for my 'other' cancer has trademarked for use at his website the saying "Smart Patients Get Smart Care™ "
Stay Safe, Get Smart, & Be Well - Captain K9
