Prostate Cancer: Over-Testing and Over-Treatment. Guest post by Bruce W. Davidson, first published in The Brownstone Institute (10/17/24)
PSA & PCR Tests
PSA Test: PSA (prostate-specific antigen) is a blood test currently used to diagnose and manage prostate cancer.
PCR Test: PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests for small amounts of genetic material of a pathogen (disease-causing organism) or abnormal cells in a sample of blood, saliva, mucus, or tissue.
ED NOTE
Some sources claim PCR tests are accurate and reliable for diagnosing disease. The test’s inventor, Kary Mullis, did not agree. PCR tests were/are widely used to diagnose COVID-19, but have proven inaccurate for that purpose. See "Busted: 11 COVID Assumptions Based on Fear Not Fact" at Prostate cancer testing and treatment strongly resembles the Covid calamity, where misuse of the PCR test resulted in harming the supposedly Covid-infected with destructive treatments.
The author lists two books — Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers and The Great Prostate Hoax — which argue convincingly that:
…“routine PSA screening does far more harm to men than good…” and the medical people involved in prostate screening and treatment represent “a self-perpetuating industry that has maimed millions of American men.”
Turns out, the PSA test was suspect even during FDA hearings that ultimately approved it.
Facts about PSA tests and prostate cancer treatment:
The PSA test has a 78% false positive rate.
False positives threaten a whole lot of men with prostate biopsy.
Prostate cancer develops very slowly compared to other cancers and does not often pose an imminent threat to life.
Most prostate cancer patients die from something else, whether or not they are treated for prostate cancer.
PSA mass screening resulted in a huge increase in the number of radical prostatectomies (prostate surgery).
Prostate surgery is a widely recommended (especially in Japan), dangerous treatment with little evidence for improved survival outcomes.
Many urologists urge their patients not to wait to get prostate surgery, threatening them with imminent death if they do not.
Prostate surgery is a very difficult procedure, even with newer robotic technology. It involves various risks, including:
Death in 1 in 600 prostate surgeries.
Incontinence (15% to 20%) and impotence,
Significant psychological impacts of these side effects.
Conclusions:
Excessive PSA screening has led to inflicting unnecessary suffering on many men.
The Covid phenomenon has been an even more dramatic case of medical overkill.
Cutting edge medical technologies are good for health-care consumers ONLY if these technologies have proven benefits over the ones they replace.
People in Japan currently are being urged to receive the next-generation (little tested) self-amplifying mRNA Covid vaccine. Thankfully, many are resisting this time.
