 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group The Final Word on PC Letter to the Editor |
I received my copy of October PC Update and was surprised to find an
article on Prostate Cancer. Well written and informative, it gave very good advice re the necessity for
regular blood test scans for Prostate Specific Antigen. PSA readings give an indication of the health of your
Prostate gland, although a raised reading can be due to factors other than cancer.
Then I read on and found another article on general health sites, and was dismayed to read a statement
recommending only getting PSA scans if you are actually suffering symptoms, and quoting the Victorian
Government Better Health site as the authority. Can't be true, I thought, so I went to the Web site and there
found the following pearler:
"Prostate cancer screening. Prostate cancer is a malignant lump of tissue that grows in the prostate
gland. It generally occurs in men over the age of 65. In two thirds of cases, it is not life threatening.
Most men who have prostate cancer die of an unrelated cause".
What this actually says is that in one third of cases it is life threatening. And I can tell
you from personal experience that you can have prostate cancer to a stage where your treatment options begin
to be restricted, without any noticeable signs.
It is true that some 40% of men will die with Prostate Cancer (but not of Prostate Cancer) but
it is certainly one of the biggest killers of men. And you don't have to be 65 or over to get it. I am under
60, and I am aware of two cases amongst my colleagues of men in their early 40s with it.
If PC is detected early enough, there is a range of treatment from which you can select, including radical
surgery, brachytherapy, external beam ray, cryogenics and even watchful waiting - although I cannot
understand how any man who has cancer could decide to do nothing, unless of advanced age.
Brachytherapy was my choice, but it may not be yours. It is relatively new and expensive, but the survival
rates at 10 years are the same as for the radical surgery, and with much reduced side effects. Just keep it
in mind as an option if you do ever have to make this decision, especially if you are over 60.
PC is slow growing in the main. But the main point is, if you detect it early enough you can make choices of
what
is right for you. Once the cancer cells spread outside the gland, you really only have only hormones,
external beam and prayer.
I could delve into the subject in more depth, but this is not the place. If anyone has a genuine desire to
learn more about brachytherapy, feel free to email me directly. I am not in the medical profession, but can
give you
a learned patient's perspective on it.
However, the message I really want to reinforce is that blood test (PSA) screening is very useful in most
cases. And the rate of change of PSA reading can be more telling than the actual reading, which is why you
need to
have tests at regular intervals. It is not perfect, but is the best we have, especially when augmented with
digital examination. Unless you want to be one of the "only one-third" of men to die of their Prostate
Cancer, and if you are over 50, have the PSA blood test done yearly. If you are over 30, have it done at
least five yearly to give some back-ground data against which to assess your later annual tests.
Neil Pogson,
pogo@melbpc.org.au
Reprinted from the December 2000 issue of PC Update, the
magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
