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Prostate cancer cases worldwide likely to double by 2040, analysis finds

theguardian.com

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Re: Prostate cancer cases worldwide likely to double by 2040, analysis finds

#31

Post by Dylan16807 »

steelbrain wrote: post #10
not_the_fda wrote: post #7

You die with prostate cancer, not from it. It has a 95% survival rate.

I wouldn’t be thrilled to fly in a plane if it had a 5% chance to kill me.

But if random chance forced you to become a plane user against your will, you wouldn't treat it like it's half a death sentence.

And it's 5% spread across every trip you take for the rest of your life.

Re: Prostate cancer cases worldwide likely to double by 2040, analysis finds

#32

Post by jrpt »

dukeofdoom wrote: post #14
not_the_fda wrote: post #7

You die with prostate cancer, not from it. It has a 95% survival rate.

Let's say you undergo medical procedures to cure it, (chemo, surgery, etc.) and end up dying from a complication from it. Does that still count as a prostate cancer death (the 5%)?

Coroners will list immediate, intermediate, and underlying (proximate) cause of death. In that case the immediate cause of death would be say sepsis after surgery, but the proximate cause of death is the cancer. If you are looking at cause-specific mortality I think you do include proximate causes even if it isn't the immediate cause. But like the other commenter said, I think this is factor is so small as to not be impactful.

Re: Prostate cancer cases worldwide likely to double by 2040, analysis finds

#34

Post by mtalantikite »

spxneo wrote: post #8

what are the symptoms? i have BPH and its been a struggle. I been taking zinc, saw palmetto but its only temporary. maybe i need to experience anal sex to fix this problem

Definitely not medical advice, but a friend's father took turkey tail mushrooms as part of his prostate cancer treatment and it seemed to help. An extract of it (PSK) is pretty commonly used in Japan [1].

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3017241/

Re: Prostate cancer cases worldwide likely to double by 2040, analysis finds

#35

Post by jrpt »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #29
breadwinner wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is that the lab test? Isn't false positives and false negatives high with PSA?

This article from 2018 argues against widespread PSA testing as a screening tool: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/new-study-once-again-cas...

The recommendation to not do widespread PSA testing is extremely controversial. Also, as an individual, you should make decisions for yourself, not based on some population-wide study.

I think you should always do regular PSA testing, but don't automatically follow it up with a biopsy if it's not that high (just slightly elevated). Instead, do a second-line test like a 4Kscore test, and/or look at your PSA velocity, or look at PHI (Prostate Health Index) scores. Basically, the assumption that "anything over a certain cutoff should be biopsied" is dumb and they should actually just do second-line tests before biopsies, for borderline scores.

Re: Prostate cancer cases worldwide likely to double by 2040, analysis finds

#36

Post by agent86 »

thfuran wrote: post #30
jghn wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At a population scale that's not as true as one would think.

Is imaging-based screening better? It at least removes most potential complications.

Traditional colonoscopies are still the gold standard for colon cancer screening. One major benefit of them is that while they are performing the screening if they see something like a polyp it can be removed and tested.

Re: Prostate cancer cases worldwide likely to double by 2040, analysis finds

#38

Post by abalone »

breadwinner wrote: post #27
abalone wrote: post #19

Prostate cancer survivor here, AMA. Tips: * I recommend everyone with a prostate get their PSA tested by age 45, or earlier if it runs in the family. It's a simple blood test but sometimes you have to ask for it. * Early detection is key. A biopsy can assess how aggressive it is (the Gleason score). They can even genetically profile the tumor to further gauge risk (the Decipher score). * Most cases are slow growing a…

Is that the lab test? Isn't false positives and false negatives high with PSA?

Yes but it is still an excellent first-level screening tool. A few things can cause elevated PSA. Typically you will get retested a bunch of times to see if it comes back down to normal levels. But if it stays up you may be a good candidate for an MRI-guided biopsy to look for tumors.

Re: Prostate cancer cases worldwide likely to double by 2040, analysis finds

#39

Post by malingo »

breadwinner wrote: post #27
abalone wrote: post #19

Prostate cancer survivor here, AMA. Tips: * I recommend everyone with a prostate get their PSA tested by age 45, or earlier if it runs in the family. It's a simple blood test but sometimes you have to ask for it. * Early detection is key. A biopsy can assess how aggressive it is (the Gleason score). They can even genetically profile the tumor to further gauge risk (the Decipher score). * Most cases are slow growing a…

Is that the lab test? Isn't false positives and false negatives high with PSA?

PSA tests are easy and cheap enough that any concerning single result should be followed up with several more to see if there's an increasing / accelerating trend. An elevated but flat trend could be BPH, and as others have mentioned, a single elevated result can be caused by many things (prostatitis, etc).

Re: Prostate cancer cases worldwide likely to double by 2040, analysis finds

#40

Post by abalone »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #29
breadwinner wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is that the lab test? Isn't false positives and false negatives high with PSA?

This article from 2018 argues against widespread PSA testing as a screening tool: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/new-study-once-again-cas...

There are conflicting studies. This is common. It's tough to put together randomized trials over a multi-decade period to get the highest quality data. But among oncologists there is very widespread agreement on the benefits of PSA testing.

https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/healthy-aging/the-psa-debate/

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