One Fifth of Screened Lung Cancers Indolent?

Jerry,
The USPSTF is tasked with looking at the entire picture about treatments. The effects of patients, the effects on the medical industry, and even the financial effects a screening process may have. They stated that their findings were based on the evidence that many men are harmed and are not informed well about those harms.

Immediately after the USPSTF issued the Grade D recommendation to end prostate cancer screening this statement was issued by one of the panelists:

“Prostate cancer is a serious health problem that affects thousands of men and their families. But before getting a PSA test, all men deserve to know what the science tells us about PSA screening: there is a very small potential benefit and significant potential harms. We encourage clinicians to consider this evidence and not screen their patients with a PSA test unless the individual being screened understands what is known about PSA screening and makes the personal decision that even a small possibility of benefit outweighs the known risk of harms.”
—USPSTF Co-Chair Michael LeFevre, M.D., M.S.P.H.
May 22, 2012

Virginia Moyer, the chair of this group, called the current status a possible catastrophe.  Stephen Albin, the researcher credited with discovering the prostate specific antigen and the subsequent PSA assay stated that he regretted finding it because it was being used in a way he never intended and men were not getting the correct information about the assay.

I stated back in 2012 that I thought that some good would come out of this recommendation.  Oscar Wilde once said something to the effect of "The only thing worse than people talking negatively about you is when people don't talk about you at all".  And sure enough the buzz created by the patient pool was enormous.  They hated the USPSTF, it's panelists, and the conspiracy theories went haywire.  

But look again at LeFevre's comment.  "...unless the individual being screened understands..."  This should be a call to the patient pool of advocates to be telling patients to get educated.  To help them get educated ~ and then THEN it's ok to screen.  Same with the clinicians.

The good news is still present.  This announcement by the USPSTF, one I do not agree with, actually made men talk, doctors talk, and cleared the way to better approaches to screening and finding prostate cancer earlier than ever ~ but with more cautious hands in the decision making process.  I am not calling the USPSTF recommendation good, I am calling the cause and effect positive.  

Before the USPSTF recommendation was drafted screening guidelines were consistently 50yo / 45yo with high risk factors.  But even the AUA since cleared the path to screening the 40yo man.  They also said screen any man that is educated and requests the test regardless of age.  

LOL all the crap I received on this is funny.  When I was diagnosed it was outside all protocols and guidelines.  I was 44.  You were 42.  We actually have a plan for us today with a baseline at 40 that was never in place just 5 years ago.  And the medical community and research teams are trying to figure out how to improve the status quo.

I don't think it was money either.  You're right.  That does not add up...


Tony