Pdazzler

“The Prostate Express” – Sign of an American Healthcare Tragedy – Pdazzer

Medical Study

A just published medical study, by Harvard Medical School, in conjunction with the Karolinsks Institute, Sweden; University of Iceland, Reykjavik and several Boston hospitals, has my dander up today.

The study reached the conclusion: “A diagnosis of prostate cancer may increase the immediate risks of suicide and cardiovascular death.”  The study added the risk was particularly high during the first month following a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

What has my ire elevated is the study makes nary a mention of what treatment action was taken by the medical establishment in the month or year following the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

This brings me to “The Prostate Express”.   There are currently 100’s of American males traveling to Germany each year to undergo hypothermia treatment for prostate cancer.  Hyperthermia has none of the serious side effects of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy which are the standards in the American health care industry.

Prostate Gland

It’s my considered opinion the treatments given to address prostate cancer have a far greater impact on suicide rates and cardiovascular deaths than the mere diagnosis of prostate cancer.   But when I review this very large study (linked at the conclusion) there is absolute silence about the cancer treatment options followed by the study’s patients.

Here is an example of current prostate health care in America.  Call our composite American patient by the name of Bill.  Bill goes to his family doctor for his annual checkup.  As part of his visit he gets a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and the famous (finger wag) digital test.

The PSA test comes back with a reading of 7.0 and Bill is referred to an urologist.   The urologist gives Bill another PSA test, another finger wag test.  Based on those results the urologist does a “punch test”  needle biopsy where a half dozen core tissue samples are taken direct from Bill’s prostate gland.   When the lab results come back Bill is told they found cancer cells present in four of the six tissue samples.

Additionally, the pathologist that did Bill’s lab work assigned a Gleason score of 5.  (The Gleason score is highly subjective with hand counts of cancer cells, an opinion as to their differentiation from normal prostate cells and an opinion on patterns the cancer cells take in the tested tissue samples.)

Following receiving the pathologists lab report the urologist schedules Bill for another consultation.  Here he informs Bill the findings are consistent with prostate cancer.  The urologist recommends Bill undergo a radical prostectomy where the prostate gland is completely removed.

Bill vaguely remembers hearing he could lose control of urinary functions and his sex life would change.    But what Bill really hears is “if we go in now we should be able to get it all”.   And, “if we remove it now your chances of survival are 90% plus”.

So Bill, a normal American male and scared to death of the prospect of dying says, “Get ‘er Done”.   Only after the surgery does Bill realize the importance of what he failed to hear clearly.  “You will lose control of your urinary function,” and “sexual function is going to be pretty much gone”.

Sunset of Life?

Fast forwarding a year, Bill is still wearing a diaper.  Some days he gets by with one diaper a day and some days he uses more.   Bill’s wife moved out 6 months ago and the divorce was final last week.   Bill tried the stimulant shots to his penis but that did not work out well.   He has not yet resolved to become a monk and dreams about the possibility of a penal implant.

Back to the Harvard prostate study and my article’s subject of “The Prostate Express”.  Where is the study’s data about the individual medical procedures the prostate patients underwent?   Which patients had a radical prostectomy?  Which patients received radiation?   Which patients received chemotherapy?   Which patients received various combinations?

None of this important treatment data is presented or discussed by the study.  We are not advised of those patients that refused traditional mainstream therapies and chose to do nothing.  Nor are we informed of those patients who chose to use alternative or integrative means, chose to travel abroad for different treatments in Germany, Japan, Italy, etc.

Instead, the study’s authors tell us “A diagnosis of prostate cancer may increase the immediate risks of suicide and cardiovascular death”.  I guess that is supposed to be news, a surprise or something not intuitive?   Given how the medical establishment treats prostate cancer patients that “finding” certainly did not require a scientific study.

Our American male composite Bill has now done his homework.   Seems, after the fact, Bill found time to accomplish the research he should have done prior to having his prostate removed.

Bill now says the PSA test is basically “unreliable at best”.   He learned his exercise, diet and even sexual habits possibly affected his PSA test results.

What about that Gleason test?  Bill did his late homework there too.  He found that prostate cancer is complicated. People with high Gleason scores have been known to do well and some men with low Gleason scores have not fared well at all.  I guess the Gleason score does not always apply to individual patients.

And Bill found the “punch test” is not so hot either.   Seems cancer cells are present in virtually all older men’s prostate glands.   Bill now says “your chances of dying from prostate cancer after diagnosis is low and a long way off even if you do nothing”.

Cancer society stops urging docs to offer PSA test

By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe, Ap Medical Writer – Wed Mar 3, 10:00 am ET

ATLANTA – The American Cancer Society has updated its advice about prostate cancer screening. The society wants doctors to talk to men and give them plenty of information before they have a PSA test to make sure they understand its limits.

Recent studies suggest the popular PSA test may lead to unnecessary treatment for many men. The test can’t clearly indicate whether a cancer is aggressive or harmless. The cancer society has not recommended routine screening for most men since the 1990s. And its new guidelines no longer urge doctors to offer the test.

Bill is now wishing he had taken that trip to Germany his wife always wanted to make.  Perhaps he would have met someone on the plane taking “The Prostate Express”.  Bill says his research shows “hyperthermia, as practice in Germany, has a similar success record to radical prostectomy, radiation or chemotherapy and none of the serious side effects”.

So, when the mainstream media touts this useless Harvard prostate cancer study as important news ask yourself,   “Is the tragedy that prostate patients are at increased risk for suicide and cardiovascular death” or is the tragedy “the way we treat prostate cancer in America”?

And, is it the diagnosis that causes the increase in suicide and cardiovascular deaths?  Or is it the standard American treatment and their serious side effects that cause the increase in suicide and cardiovascular deaths?

Perhaps the next scientific study will do a comparison between prostate patients that underwent traditional American care and those that choose “The Prostate Express”.   Then we will have some truly interesting and useful information about the increased suicide and cardiovascular death rates among prostate patients.

Pdazzler

Abstract:  JNCI Increased Risk Of Suicide And CardioVascular Death

Prostate Hyperthermia