This is totally a personal viewpoint:
As a prostate cancer survivor, the idea of "watchful waiting",
regardless of age is a very uncomfortable idea. When I was first dx w/
PC, the thought of something that could harm me, growing inside of me
was almost overwhelming.
There was no hesitation in my wanting to rid my body of the cancer,
especially after I read about the course of this disorder. In
addition, I had also worked as a therapist for Hospice of the Valley
in San Jose and had worked with terminally ill PC patients. I had seen
the psychological effects of "watchful waiting."
I was willing to undergo what ever side effects were caused by my
treatment of choice. The side effects are annoying, stressful at times
but certainly not fatal.
The choice for treatment or non-treatment is a very individual choice
but economics and statistics do not address the psychological issues
and should not be part of the criteria.
Raymond Rogoway
[email protected]
On Mar 20, 2009, at 12:44 PM, Allen Esterson wrote:
Apparently conflicting reports of a recent study on screening for
prostate
cancer:
New York Times: Prostate Test Found to Save Few Lives
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/health/19cancer.html
The Guardian: Prostate cancer screening could cut deaths by 20%
http://tinyurl.com/ddrfrr
A perceptive discussion of this issue, highlighting the exaggerated
significance of the 20% reduction figure in terms similar to Chris
Green in
a recent posting on another health topic, can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/d6dodl
Allen Esterson
Former lecturer, Science Department
Southwark College, London
http://www.esterson.org
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