] Re: Newman to share cancer fight with viewers | PerthNow

[Guest guest]

This program sounds like a big mess of bad information. I would have

been steaming. Let the myths continue....

Good to see your name again Terry.

Laurel

>

> To get back to the Newman story as opposed to a discussion about

metastasis

> to the lungs,

>

>

>

> Without wishing to be too controversial, what value is there in

this story

> - apart from the potential flow of business for the new Da Vinci

machine?

>

>

>

> PCa activists are dancing in the street, but for the naïve man who

hasn't

> any prior information about PCa this is what has emerged from the

story:

>

>

>

> 1. Newman went for a cholesterol test and found that he had

prostate cancer

> when another blood test showed this. No mention of DRE (too

embarrassing for

> a football player to contemplate?) or biopsy - just a simple blood

test

> (unnamed)

>

>

>

> 2. This blood test showed he had prostate cancer but it was not

possible to

> say if the disease had spread to the bones or the lungs (both of

which are

> clearly fatal - and, it was implied, in a fairly short time frame)

but this

> was likely.

>

>

>

> 3. The only option available to Newman was immediate surgery

because, it was

> said, the disease had advanced to a stage that was not treatable by

> radiation or chemotherapy - no mention of ADT (Androgen Deprivation

Therapy)

> by any name. Has anyone else come up with this kind of diagnosis?

>

>

>

> 4. So Newman is rushed, very publicly, into surgery (allegedly

three weeks

> after diagnosis) with the new incredible Da Vinci machine - until

recently

> only available in the US.

>

>

>

> 5. The surgeon, on camera on 60 minutes last night was shown, after

> reassuring Newman that there was no sign of spread beyond the

gland, " We got

> it [the cancer] all out cleanly. I reckon we nailed it. It looks

good. "

>

>

>

> So there we have it - freed from the fear of a terrible death - by

surgery

> and all in three weeks and all because of a simple blood test.

>

>

>

> I believe that this kind of misleading information is not what men

need -

> and interestingly enough there have been some faint voices raised

by doctors

> saying similar things, but naturally their voices are drowned out

by the

> overwhelming sound of the cash registers going ca-ching.

>

>

>

> To quote a leading oncologist " Unfortunately, we appear to be

living in a

> time when physician income is more important than patient outcome. "

>

>

>

> All the best

>

>

>

> Terry Herbert

>

> I have no medical qualifications but I was diagnosed in `96: and

have

> learned a bit since then.

>

> My sites are at www.yananow.net <http://www.yananow.net/> and

> <http://www.prostatecancerwatchfulwaiting.co.za/>

> www.prostatecancerwatchfulwaiting.co.za

>

> Dr " Snuffy " Myers : " As a physician, I am painfully aware

that most

> of the decisions we make with regard to prostate cancer are made

with

> inadequate data "

>