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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Replying to @GidMK
... and all men get prostate cancer anyway, if they live long enough...
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I'm reminded of the saying (paraphrased) "old men with prostate cancer die with prostate cancer"
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