Prostate cancer

[Val]

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a great Christmas and lots of lovely gardening pressies. This isn't about gardening but I hope you can all help. I saw this on another forum and I never realised men don't have routine screening for this type of cancer. If it can help our sons, husbands and menfolk it is something that should be done, men will probably go if they have a letter, sorry guys but you really don't take care of yourselves without a gentle hint. Dan I hope you don't mind me putting this petition on here, if it saves just one life its got to be worth it. Here is the post and petition url.


Hi,

16 months ago I was diagnosed with aggresive prostate cancer aged 54 via a routine blood test (PSA) via my GP, I had no symptoms and was lucky(ish). I advised my friends to have a PSA test and all were told by their doctor that as they had experienced no symptoms (problems with water works) it was not necessary. Most men with early prostate cancer have no symptoms at all, it is only when the tumor has grown that symptoms are experienced.

Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer in the UK, accounting for almost a quarter of male cancers. Each year, nearly 32,000 men in the UK are diagnosed and more than 10,000 die from the disease. Currently in the UK there are no routine screening programmes for prostate cancer.

I am supporting the following petiton on the Prime Minister's on-line Number 10 web site to raise awareness of protsate cancer.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/testpsa/



Thanks everyone and a happy new year to you all.x

[Val]

[rosebud]

 Done!!

[Val]

Thanks Rosebud

[manicscousers]

Ray gets this done, don't know if it's because his dad has it  :-\
anyway, done

[Emagggie]

Likewise BW, just had a scare so happy to sign.

[valmarg]

It's a pity there isn't routine screening for men for this, similar to breast screening for women.

Prostate cancer is one of the biggest killers of males in the UK.  You should be lobbying your MPs for similar treatment for men as women.

All the test entails is a blood test and a finger up the bum (by your GP I should hasten to add ;D).

As with any form of cancer, the earlier it is diagnosed the more treatable it is.

valmarg

[Val]

Thank you I've heard the test cost £10 so its something the NHS could afford, if they can do screening for women they should for men to.

[valmarg]

Sorry val, but OH's tests were free.

valmarg

[hopalong]

I was sent a test kit (5 bum smears over 5 days) by NHS when I was 60 and got very quick "all clear" feedback. I thought all 60 year-old men got this now?

[flossy]

 

   Done x

[manicscousers]

hopalong, that test is for blood in the stools, I think for colon cancer,

[hopalong]

hopalong, that test is for blood in the stools, I think for colon cancer,

Yes, it was a bowel cancer test.  Another senior moment!

[manicscousers]

I know what you mean, no cure for it  ;D ;D

[RSJK]

Just added my name to the list.

[Val]

Thanks everyone I knew to rally support ask a gardener. I can't understand why the government offer screening for women and not men, I thought they preached sexual equality, seems some are more equal than others. No wonder women live longer, well I for one don't want to live longer on my own.

[Hyacinth]

Thanks for posting this Val - signed up & I'm passing it on 8)

Lishka

[caroline7758]

I appreciate the sentiment, but I think asking for screening at 40 is a bit optimistic when screening for breat cancer only starts at 50 (if you're lucky!) and bowel cancer at 60 and they are both big killers too.

[moonbells]

Prostate cancer is a weird one. It's the only malignant tumour that can just sit there for decades doing nothing. 80% of men aged 80 have it. Most will never know for sure, and will pop off due to old age or something else. PSA testing is notoriously unreliable. About the only good thing about it is that if you have a test early in life, you can establish a baseline for you (as everyone's different) and then if it changes, your GP can decide if to take action.

A lot of consultants think men are better off with no treatment. Actually treating for localised disease which would not progress very fast if left alone can be many times worse for the patient both mentally and physically than the disease, leading to all sorts of unpleasant side effects.  Screening would probably turn up lots of cancers which would worry a lot of men (leading to stress-related illnesses/depression) who would be happier if they didn't know and whose cancer would never kill them! So it's a double-edged sword. So, most prostate cancer treatment these days starts with watchful waiting, ie to see if it is aggressive, and only going to full swing if it is.

However, none of this applies to any other cancer, for which fast, reliable diagnosis and treatment is essential for the best outcome.

moonbells (with her cancer research day job hat on)

[caroline7758]

Those were my thoughts, moonbells- just wasn't sure enough of my facts, so thanks for clarifying!

[Paulines7]

I have signed the petition. 

My brother had prostate cancer six years ago and, fortunately, he has now been declared 100% cured.  He lives in the USA and it was caught early through a routine blood test.