Think about it - in the original article, this person has just been told they are at an increased risk of prostate cancer over their lifetime Let's say they act on that
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In the first instance, this would mean that they'd get a prostate-specific antigen test once every year or two Matt Hancock, the author, is 40 years old Let's say he gets a test every year for the next 40 years - 40 tests overall
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These tests are very cheap, only ~$40 a pop So 40x40 = $1,600 to check for prostate cancer, based on that 3% increased lifetime risk
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But what if one of these tests is positive? Well, a positive PSA test often results in a biopsy That's a biopsy of the prostate Of those who have such biopsies, about 2% will have serious complications, and 0.2% will diepic.twitter.com/vpyfMCe8Uh
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On top of this, PSA screening has a fairly high false positive rate - 10-20% This means that Matt, if he is screened for prostate cancer yearly, has a ~relatively high chance of having a biopsy. Each biopsy has a 2% risk of serious complications
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THIS IS WHY PROSTATE SCREENING IS USUALLY NOT RECOMMENDED IN OTHERWISE HEALTHY MEN Multiple PSA tests result in multiple false positives which result in MULTIPLE DEATHSpic.twitter.com/EglTsuDktt
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Getting back to Matt, he's got 40 tests waiting for him These tests HAVE RISKS Do the benefits outweigh the risks? Based on the evidence, probably not
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The point here? There's an expensive genetic test. It gives you information on risk But the information is basically meaningless
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Even if you ARE at a slightly increased risk of prostate cancer, it will still probably change nothing about your medical care It's just another thing to worry about So, really, what's the point?
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This was true in the 23AndMe diabetes study as well The population getting these tests are mostly young, fit, healthy people They don't need to change their lifestyle to lower their risk of diabetes
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Bottom line: If it wouldn't change anything about how you live your life THERE'S NO POINT IN GETTING THE TEST
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In terms of specific identified diseases and heritability? Sure. In terms of DTC genetic tests based on polygenic risk scores? Not really
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End of conversation
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