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Prostate Cancer sufferers failed by medical establishment

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DennisM
DennisM

It is what you do not know that will kill you. After visiting four doctors in the same surgery from April to December, 2008, with ever increasing pain I was finally diagnosed with a Prostate problem by a fifth doctor at the same NHS surgery who immediately examined me and ordered a PSA blood test. The result came back - 900. Too late, the cancer had spread. Since then at the age of 68 I have been put on a 'Wait and See' regime.

On the 2 May, 2010, a leading urologist had an article published in the Mail on Sunday: 'Prostate cancer sufferers are being failed by the NHS. Why must men in the UK be forced to choose between cancer and impotence.' he went on to say: 'What I have to say will be seen as controversial - but if anything is to change then I must break rank and admit that thousands of British men are being failed by the medical establishment. Prostate cancer affects 35,000 new sufferers a year and - it is a damning indictment of my profession that a third of this number die from the disease annually - about one man every hour in the UK.' Christopher Eden advocates the removal of the Prostate gland at the earliest opportunity he regards this form of cancer treatment as the : Gold Standard and he has an amazing success-rate. The 'Wait and See' regime he finds to be very uncertain compared to a prostatectomy. He has performed 200 operations annually for the past five years this is a vast amount of experience compared to the average urologist who might perform a similar operation just six time each year: Christopher Eden: Leading Urologist, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guldford, Surrey. It is what you do not know that might just kill you...

1 like, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • georgeGG
    georgeGG DennisM

    Posted

    Hi Dennis, thank you for that. My impression is that PCa treatment is in its intfancy. We are given choices as to treatment  and not prognoses. I have read of GPs who actively discourage PSA testing. My present GP practice does not do regular PSA testing and does not advertise that practice. So no symptoms, no test. But PCa often starts with no symptoms. In my case, elevated PSA values in 2011 and 2012 in my former GP practice were passed bye without comment (or simply ignored perhaps) so that it was 2014 and in my new G P practice my elevated PSA of 18 was investigated. The first diagnosis is then locally advanced PCa. Because of the aggressive nature there is a high risk of tiny occult metatases-(ie A high risk of it being T4). Perhaps it would have been T2 in 2011. At any rate a cure would have been more likely then and with lighter treatment. 
  • georgeGG
    georgeGG DennisM

    Posted

    Hi Dennis,

    I am dismayed at the lack of interest in this  discusion topic which you raised. Would you comment on why some doctors are antipathetic at PSA testing and others DREs. Possibly my PSA tests were ordered by one doctor and ignored by another, both for their perceived ethical reasons. Screening from age 40 plus intelligent active assessment seems to me the only ethical process. Either I or others are missing the point.

    • georgeGG
      georgeGG

      Posted

      Hi Denis, 

      Perhaps, after so many days you would like to add a comment. I at any rate would beinterested in your thoughts. Also I still wonder what James wrote that has condemned his note without particular comment.

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