Did Your Urologist TELL (SPEAK to) yo... - Prostate Cancer N...
Did Your Urologist TELL (SPEAK to) you about the risks, benefits and alternatives prior to having your first prostate cancer biopsy?
I do not recall any discussion about the risks associated with the biopsy itself. There was a lot of discussion once the results came back. I was as well informed about my treatment options as I could possibly be. I had been through other surgeries prior to the biopsy and was not particularly concerned about it.
There was no discussion of alternatives but I didn't fear or regret getting the biopsy.
I'm not sure the point of this survey, as the answer seems very time related - time as in years. We know that the amount of counseling and discussion has become a serious issue since the government's revised guidance 4 years ago to limit screening and testing. Is the question delving into our perceptions of our doctors' response to that advice? If so perhaps there should be a follow up question about how long since the diagnosis and biopsy. Data from those of us whose cancer biopsy and treatment were a decade or more ago is from quite a different era and circumstances, thus could seriously influence the survey results.
This is a very simple poll; not a research survey. Your point about when a man had his biopsy is but one of many factors we might consider if this was a survey designed for a paper. Our polls help our community with empowerment and awareness.
While this is a simple poll, I suspect the results would be quite different if the responses were filtered into time periods. My first biopsy was over 20 years ago...and my response was "No." After change of urologist (years ago) and with my most recent biopsy (2015), my response would be "Yes." The medical knowledge and practices have changed dramatically over the last 20+ years and old (ancient?) data will not be that useful today. Just my thoughts.
Ken
