[lbo-talk] Prostate screening bad idea....

[Miles Jackson]

martin schiller wrote:
> On Apr 1, 2011, at 12:10 PM, Wojtek S wrote:
> 
> I had been screened since my 40s, and when I was found to have an
> increase in my PSA reading the urologists did a biopsy. The biopsy is
> relatively non-invasive (compared to any of the treatment options)
> and is definitive. I seriously doubt that anyone would be treated
> based on a digital probe or PSA reading alone.
> 

Let's review the results of this controlled experimental study: some men 
were randomly assigned to screenings, and another group were not.  The 
researchers found that prostate cancer mortality did not differ in the 
two groups.  That means that the screening does not cause a reduction in 
prostate cancer mortality rates, common sense and anecdotes 
notwithstanding.  To put it bluntly, screenings for diseases like 
prostate cancer are a huge waste of resources, and the sooner we divert 
the resources to medical interventions that are empirically validated 
(e.g., vaccinations), the better.

Miles