Vagaries of PSA was.... Should I Be Tested For Prostate Cancer?

[Guest guest]

Well, Steve, I always have to be careful

in dealing with someone who talks another language, so I looked up vagary in

the on-line Merriam-Webster and it the definition is:

<snip> an erratic, unpredictable, or

extravagant manifestation, action, or notion <snip>

So when I referred to the vagaries of the

PSA test I was in fact referring to the erratic and unpredictable nature of the

test – how a rise in PSA does not ALWAYS mean that PCa is responsible,

how a low PSA level does not ALWAYS mean that there is no PCa present; how a

high PSA level can mean a multitude of things, but not necessarily PCa –

for those who are not aware of these points (not you, Steve), going to http://www.yananow.net/PSA101.htm may

be useful.

Of course these vagaries are due

primarily, but not solely to the fact that the PSA test is NOT prostate cancer specific,

but there are other causes of the erratic and unpredictable nature of PSA

levels.

All the best

Prostate men need enlightening, not frightening

Terry

Herbert - diagnosed in 1996 and

still going strong

Read A Strange Place for unbiased information at http://www.yananow.net/StrangePlace/index.html

From: ProstateCancerSupport [mailto:ProstateCancerSupport ] On Behalf Of Steve Jordan

Sent: Tuesday, 16 March 2010 10:51

AM

To: ProstateCancerSupport

Subject: Re:

Should I Be Tested For Prostate Cancer?

On 3/15/10, Terry Herbert

replied to ,

in pertinent part:

(snip)

> What has happened is that there has been a huge furor as to whether men

> should be screened annually without giving them any information or

> seeking their specific consent or whether they should be tested after

> being informed about the vagaries of the PSA test.

So far as I know, the only “vagary” of the PSA test is that it is

not specific for PCa.

I do believe that medics and others who deal with PCa know this.

Or should.

Those medics who do not know this are at best ill-informed.

PSA tests do not cause problems. Ignorance about what they mean does.

I do not impugn Terry’s knowledge. He knows the above as well as

I do -- better.

Regards,

Steve J