Weigh the Odds that Prostate Cancer Will Kill You
Last year, some 1,253,716 American men died of all causes. Only about 30,000 of them were felled by prostate cancer, and half of these men were in their 80s or older. To put that another way, even until very late in life, your odds of dying of anything but prostate cancer are nearly 98 percent. You don't have to be a Vegas bookmaker to see where you should place your bets
Know the PSA Test's Limitations
Even the best-case, cherry-picked data on outcomes suggests that only a few asymptomatic men are saved by PSA screening. "You shouldn't be moved by the illusion that the test is any good," says Arthur Caplan, Ph.D., a medical bioethicist at NYU's Langone Medical Center, "or that the often unnecessary treatment it triggers won't carry a huge risk of side effects."
Put Family History in Perspective
"Because of PSA screening, we now have all these guys saying, 'I've got a family history of this disease--my dad had it, my brother had it,'" says Mary McNaughton-Collins, M.D., M.P.H., medical director of the Boston-based Informed Medical Decisions Foundation. "But you know what? If we keep doing PSA testing, more and more men will eventually have relatives who've been diagnosed."
Think "Little C," Not Big C
Many people still believe that cancer, unless it's stopped early, is a death sentence. "But as it turns out," says Caplan, "all of us, all the time, have cancer cells within us that our bodies are fighting constantly. Cancer is a minor, chronic condition that only occasionally flares into a major problem.Find out the health hazards lying in your genes with the Cancer Calculator.Usually it's not the Big C we all fear, where you get it and whammo, you're gone." Much more often, it's the "little c."
Be Open-Minded About Another Diagnosis
For some extremely risk-averse men, a fear of dying of prostate cancer can be overwhelming. If this describes you, discuss your concerns with a trusted doctor. What's really troubling you may have less to do with future prostate cancer than current generalized anxiety disorder, a treatable condition characterized by out-of-control fears about health, family, and/or finances.
Think "Little C," Not Big C
Many people still believe that cancer, unless it's stopped early, is a death sentence. "But as it turns out," says Caplan, "all of us, all the time, have cancer cells within us that our bodies are fighting constantly. Cancer is a minor, chronic condition that only occasionally flares into a major problem.Find out the health hazards lying in your genes with the Cancer Calculator.Usually it's not the Big C we all fear, where you get it and whammo, you're gone." Much more often, it's the "little c."
Be Open-Minded About Another Diagnosis
For some extremely risk-averse men, a fear of dying of prostate cancer can be overwhelming. If this describes you, discuss your concerns with a trusted doctor. What's really troubling you may have less to do with future prostate cancer than current generalized anxiety disorder, a treatable condition characterized by out-of-control fears about health, family, and/or finances.
Prostate cancer is the top killer for men and much lesser than those with women. According to the article from mercola.com about prostate health and why do men are at high risk having it since it is now alarming the sudden increase of men having prostate cancer this year.
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