Just four days ago, in response to an NBC News story in which reporter George Lewis recommended that all men over age 50 get annual prostate exams including the PSA blood test, I cited the statement of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to show that Lewis’ advice was not based in evidence: The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against routine screening for prostate cancer using prostate specific …
Last week, several news stories across the country reported that a Houston sports cardiologist was calling for widespread heart screening of sixth-graders after he found seven with undiagnosed heart conditions — two of which required surgery. The Houston Chronicle reported the story, but the only comment about concerns was one of cost: “Such an endeavor, however, would be costly. A $150 exam similar to the HEARTS screening is offe…
…nt and online advertising campaign in congressional districts across the country this week, urging lawmakers to fully fund a lifesaving cancer prevention, early detection and diagnostic program that is celebrating 20 years of screening low income, uninsured, and medically underserved women for breast and cervical cancer. The ads also send the message that when it comes to increasing your odds of surviving cancer, access to evidence-based early d…
We’re in the midst of what has been proclaimed prostate cancer awareness month, which has apparently also been proclaimed ovarian cancer awareness month. And next month is breast cancer awareness month. Various media have joined in on the awareness efforts. But awareness of what? In some cases – some seen just in the past week – journalists promote awareness of screening tests outside the boundaries of evidence or with an e…
The American Cancer Society has just released updated guidelines on prostate cancer screening. Because of the uncertainties of benefits vs. harms of such screening, the ACS puts a new emphasis on shared decision-making and on the use of patient decision aids to help men. Excerpts from ACS statements released today: “As it has since 1997, the American Cancer Society advises against a general recommendation for men to undergo screening, …
On the very day that we announced that HealthNewsReview.org would no longer systematically review network TV health news stories, we were provided two fresh examples – both on ABC – of the sorry state of many network TV health news efforts. Reporting on the two studies in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that raised important questions about both prostate cancer screening and breast cancer screening (at least the role of…
It’s State Fair time in Minnesota – a grand time at one of the nation’s best state fairs. Every year, the NBC station in the Twin Cities, KARE-11, offers free health screenings at the fair. TV stations love such events. And this year the added touch was the fact that the big “Drive Against Prostate Cancer” mobile screening unit rolled onto the fairgrounds outside the KARE-11 building. It’s well-intentioned …
In a comment left on my blog, Jamie Bearse, the chief operating officer of Project Zero – The Project to End Prostate Cancer, showed how quickly and deeply discussions about screening tests can devolve into ugly rhetoric. Bearse wrote: “Your comments along with Otis Brawley’s vendetta against the PSA sentence men to die from prostate cancer testing. Shame on you. It’s important to know your score to make a proper diagnos…
A new paper published in the Annals of Family Medicine, “Patients’ Expectations of Screening and Preventive Treatments,” concludes: “Patients overestimated the risk reduction achieved with 4 examples of screening and preventive medications. This tendency to overestimate benefits may affect patients’ decisions to use such interventions, and practitioners should be aware of this tendency when discussing these interve…
The Daily News boasts that today it “begins its ninth year of free prostate screenings at 37 hospitals, medical facilities, recreation centers, churches and office locations across the metro New York area.” The paper states that “Men age 40 and older and those with a family history of prostate cancer are offered the screenings.” Either the paper doesn’t realize or doesn’t care that: The American Cancer Soci…
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