I WAS A FOOL TO BELIEVE THIS

 Dan, April 23, 2011 

Our hospital subscribes to "Up-to-date". The articles are objective, non-partisan review articles, with excellent references on a variety of topics. Below is the recent article on Prostate cancer and "screening" for it. Here is my take on it... There is a very good chance that at your age you have cancer cells in your prostate gland. There is even a better chance that these cells will never cause you any harm, and you will die a long time from now from some other disease process. There is a very small percentage of prostate cancer that is aggressive and will kill you in less than a few years. 

Modern medical science has no way to differentiate these cancers from the garden variety of harmless prostate cancer. Urologists have to convert 48 healthy men into whimpering dribbling impotent cancer patients to prevent one prostate cancer death. It's all in this article but said in a much nicer way. A prostate biopsy is performed by firing a large core needle through your rectum and into your prostate gland about ten times. Nature never intended this. You'll be ejaculating blood for awhile. Cancer cells can get out into your blood stream and go places they never would have gone. DRE (digital rectal exam) is no longer indicated for screening. It doesn't make people live longer. I can't tell you what to do, but I can tell you what I would do. I would NOT have a biopsy. REPEAT: I would NOT have a biopsy. 

I would NOT pursue any kind of prostate cancer screening. REPEAT: I would NOT pursue any kind of prostate cancer screening. Just don't do it. Take your chances. Urologists have a big financial stake in this. The science is NOT with them. Read this article carefully. If you aren't convinced, I'll get you some more articles. I don't normally come on so strongly on medical issues, but I've seen too many men's lives ruined by aggressive urologists. And we need you out there on the road, kicking ass, not wearing Depends on the sidelines. Print this out. Read it over and over again. 

Your friend, Jim Parker, Radiologist