Prostate Cancer: Especially for the men
Question: Do you agree with the latest government health recommendations regarding PSA testing for prostate cancer?
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Dr. Brownstein’s Answer:
A headline in the May 22, 2012, issue of the Wall Street Journal read, “Blood Test From Prostate Cancer Test Gets a ‘D’ From Panel.” My only criticism of the article is that the grade should have been an “F.”
The article referred to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Recommendation Statement, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on the same date. The USPSTF recommended that men should not be screened for prostate cancer with the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test. They reported a “moderate or high certainty that the (PSA test) has no benefit or that harms outweigh the benefits.”
The task force reviewed clinical studies of PSA testing, and the best of the studies found only a miniscule benefit from PSA screening. The researchers wrote, “There is good evidence that PSA-based screening prevents only zero to one prostate cancer death for every 1,000 men screened. No studies show any benefit in overall death rates.”
Millions of men have been screened with PSA testing and many have been told to have expensive and dangerous therapies to treat prostate cancer found by the test.
However, men were not told that the vast majority of prostate cancers are slow growing, and that the harm from treatment can vastly outweigh the benefits. This study is an indictment of PSA testing. It should also function as a necessary slap in the face to conventional medicine’s approach to treating cancer.
The American Cancer Society should be studying how to prevent cancer. Instead, they focus on early diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, by the time most cancers are diagnosed, it is too late.
Truly preventative measures will revolve around eating a healthier diet, detoxification, and supplementing to correct nutritional and hormonal imbalances.
