Search Results for "psa screening"
Overall impressive: News media coverage of NEJM study on treating vs not treating prostate cancer
Joy Victory is deputy managing editor of HealthNewsReview.org. She tweets as @thejoyvictory. An important new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine provides clarity on outcomes of men with early prostate cancer who either received surgery, radiation or “active monitoring,” which means patients were given routine checks and only treated if the cancer was […]
1
“Skyrocketing” prostate cancer? Journos, cool your jets
[Editor’s note: This post has been updated; see the addenda at the bottom.] Headlines from multiple news outlets today report that metastatic prostate cancer is “soaring,” “surging” and “skyrocketing.” The alarming headlines are based on a study that found a 72% increase in metastatic disease cases (cancers that have spread beyond the prostate) between 2004 […]
3
Active surveillance for prostate cancer: Comments, context and quips on The Times’ front-page coverage
Kevin Lomangino is the managing editor of HealthNewsReview.org. He tweets as @klomangino. The New York Times today had a front-page story noting that growing numbers of men diagnosed with prostate cancer are opting for active surveillance of their cancer rather than more aggressive surgery or radiation. Just 10 percent to 15 percent of early-stage prostate cancer patients […]
2
Shades of Aldous Huxley in AARP’s “Brave New World” of diagnostic tests
When an organization like AARP speaks, elders tend to listen. So, it is important for organizations with that much clout to make measured statements about medical issues. The following headline of a recent article in the AARP Bulletin tripped our hype sensors. With Diagnostic Tests, It’s a Brave New World These six medical tests are […]
4 11/12/2014A 15-year retrospective on a shared decision-making encounter, a lawsuit, and not winning
I didn’t see any news coverage of Dr. Dan Merenstein’s article in JAMA Internal Medicine last week, “PSA Screening — I Finally Won!” Maybe there was some reporting but I missed it. But if there wasn’t any news coverage, maybe that’s understandable. It was “just” a perspective piece. It’s based on old news – a […]
6/13/2014Sam’s Club serves up a Father’s Day prostate special. Such a deal!
A physician wrote to me, concerned that she’s seen no news coverage questioning why Sam’s Club stores across the country are offering free PSA screenings for men 40 and over to “celebrate men’s health month.” The events are apparently scheduled for this coming weekend, on June 14. But not everyone is impressed by the promotion. […]
5 3/6/2014Why the Scandinavian prostate cancer study doesn’t translate to the U.S.
Lots of news coverage about a Scandinavian prostate cancer study. Here’s a guest post on the study from Richard M. Hoffman, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, and Staff Physician in the New Mexico VA Health Care System. He has done story reviews and written blog posts […]
4/10/2013Men’s Health feature: The $6 Million Dollar Gland
Jim Thornton’s story is about prostate cancer screening. The six million dollar figure refers to the cost of screening for and treating prostate cancer. Excerpt: “At $1,000 or more per biopsy, the cost to U.S. health care for prostate biopsies alone is estimated to run into the billions each year. Whenever cancer is found, expenses […]
New method allows better prostate cancer testing
This story promises that “better prostate cancer testing” may be right around the corner, even as the researchers and editorial writers warn of limitations and “significant hurdles.”
New method allows better prostate cancer testing
Incomplete MPR reporting on Mayo prostate cancer scan
I’m a big fan of Minnesota Public Radio and usually a big fan of their health care news coverage. They’ve done some bold and innovative coverage in recent years. But when I heard (on the radio) and saw (online) MPR’s story, “Prostate cancer scan advance helps Mayo doctors with early detection,” I saw and heard […]
6 11/5/2012Proton Beam Therapy: evaluating claims in ASTRO papers of “excellent” quality of life data
Last week, the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s annual conference was held in Boston, and several papers were presented on proton beam therapy, and several medical centers sent out news releases about their involvement in the work. MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and Loma Linda University Medical Center in California were two that we […]
9-part series on overdiagnosis
Ray Moynihan, a terrific health care journalist who is now pursuing his PhD on overdiagnosis and working as a Senior Research Fellow at Bond University in Australia, kicks off the first of a nine-part series, “Over-diagnosis Epidemic” on TheConversation.edu.au website. The first part is an introduction, “Preventing over-diagnosis: how to stop harming the healthy.” Other […]
5/21/2012“Outrageous…an earthquake…an enormous game changer” – but it was there for all to see for 7 months!
News coverage of the US Preventive Services Task Force’s new recommendation against prostate cancer screening (published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine) was often hyperbolic and sensational, ignoring the fact that today’s published recommendation first appeared in draft form in October – fully 7 months ago – and that it was available for public […]
‘Cutting’ your risk of prostate cancer
An over-the-top headline and lead sentence set a poor tone for this story about circumcision and the risk of prostate cancer.
‘Cutting’ your risk of prostate cancer
A physician and a journalist react to NIH prostate cancer active surveillance conference
Here are two perspectives on last week’s NIH State-of-the-Science Conference: Role of Active Surveillance in the Management of Men With Localized Prostate Cancer. The first is from one of our HealthNewsReview.org medical editors, Richard M. Hoffman, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and Staff Physician at the […]
