PROSTATE CANCER TEST TAKEN AWAY BY GOVERNMENT PANEL

The USPSTF is a group of 16 primary care specialists (GPs, pediatricians, internal medicine and ob-gyn) in a government sponsored committee.  A couple of years ago they recommended stopping mammograms on women, there was such a ruckus that they softened their recommendation. They have just recommended that no men of any age have the PSA.  I am rushing through the three articles above to be published in Missouri Medicine medical journal.  We physicians and patients need to raise a ruckus.

May I request that you each go to the USPSTF website And as patients protest against this recommendation. If its adopted Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies will stop paying for the PSA test.

Let any other people you know interested know and ask them to go on line also. This is link  http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf_form3/    Comments have to be made before November 8th, 2011

Thanks
  
John C. Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO
Editor, Missouri Medicine
2010 President KC Metro Med Soc
Eye Forum Moderator

[Nikodicreta]

Long-term studies have found that PSA screening and early diagnosis of prostate cancer does not save lives. Too many false positives, not enough cancer specific and poor results.
I have seen the results of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) trial,  in the United States, and the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) . No difference in mortality rates with PSA and  DRE screening in the PLCO trial.
In the ERSPC a stated 20% reduction in mortality with psa only screening,
but with over 1400 men being screened, 48 would have to be over-treated for one prostate cancer death prevented. (Primum non nocere! )
PSA screening proponents will have to wait for improvements and enhancements to the existing test such as the  A+PSA assay or EPCA-2
testing perhaps, in order to win their argument.
I am personally putting all my money in Prevention.
Cheers,
Niko