Richard Reece
Posted 10/12/11 on MedInnovation Blog
The public demands certainties but there are no certainties.
H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)
The government, representing “We, The People,” is responsible for spending the public’s money intelligently based fact. The individual citizen, “Me, The Person,” is responsible for preserving his/her health based on what he/she perceives to be in his best interest.
With PSA screening for prostate cancer, these responsibilities conflict because the screening may do more harm than good. Prostate cancer is a common, slow moving cancer. Five times more men with it than from it, and the side effects of biopsy and treatment can be devastating.
Hence, the great prostate debate – whether to screen routinely for prostate cancer with PSA testing, and whether to biopsy and treat patients with marginally elevated levels.
Continue reading “The Great Prostate Debate: “We” Versus “Me””