Prostate Cancer Screening Dies a Quiet Death

?It?s official,? says ConsumerReports.org, ?The PSA blood test to screen for prostate cancer has been downgraded to the lowest possible rating of ?D? from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force,?an influential independent advisory board that basically decides what types of preventive care are worth the bother.? The task force is advising physicians to discourage patients from taking the test.?

For many people that?s probably a relief. For me, the ?D? stands for ?dismayed.? Yes, I know that most prostate cancers grow so slowly that affected men will most likely die of something else first. And Consumer Reports points to results from the clinical trials indicating, ?between zero and one person will avoid death from prostate cancer in a decade for every 1,000 people that get the test.?

Yet I also vividly recall the day when cancer came calling. I was caught off guard since I was only 26 years old and had always been blessed with good health. But after experiencing recurring bladder infections that were only temporarily cured with antibiotics, a doctor recommended I have a cystoscopy.

Even a description of this mercifully quick procedure is not for the faint of heart: Essentially, a scope was inserted into my urethra and slowly advanced into the bladder. By the way, I was completely awake and not under any form of anesthesia when this occurred.

During that first exam, the urologist discovered that I had a very small malignant bladder neoplasm. It was removed using tiny surgical instruments that can be inserted through the cystoscope. I was lucky that day and my luck has held out. I?ve continued to have an annual cystoscopy for many years with no signs of recurrence.

Given the close relationship between the bladder and the prostate, part of my exam always included a PSA blood test. It was my extra bit of reassurance that everything really was OK?I even kept my only little log of the results (.35 in November 2011).

However, now it?s official. My PSA security blanket has been taken away from me. I?m sure I?ll adjust to this new reality. But like a lot of other things we don?t like to give up, it?s going to take some getting used to.

How do you feel about the Preventive Services Task Force rating?

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Lawrence Karol is a freelance writer and editor who lives in New York City in a mid-century-modern-inspired apartment with his dog, Mike. He is a former Gourmet editor, who enjoys writing about design, food, and lots of other stuff. @WriteEditDream | Email Lawrence

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