Do You Know Everything You Must Know
About Prostate Cancer?Click to download document
No man ever died from learning about something that could kill him. Completing this brief assay will uncover facts you should know about the way prostate cancer originates... how it progresses ... and how it can be cured.
When you are not sure about responding to any part of this exercise, make a good guess, compare it with our suggested response, and go on.
Note: For brevity, we often abbreviate prostate specific antigen as PSA, and prostate cancer as PC.
1. According to the latest medical advice, you should begin PSA tests for prostate cancer at age --- (Circle one):
40 50 55 60 65 As soon as possible after age 65
Suggest response: circle 40
2. Could you have PC right now and not know it? (Circle one choice:
No Yes Of course not I’m not sure. It’s possible.
Suggested response: circle Yes
3. Your chances of developing PC are well established. For instance, the chance of PC occurring in U.S. men age 60 and older are: (Circle one)
1 man in 18 1 man in 14 1 man in 11
1 man in 9 1 man in 6 1 man in 4
Suggested response: circle 1 man in 6.
4. Some of PC’s warning signs include: (Check all that apply.)
___ (1) “Stop and go” urination
___ (2) Getting up nights to urinate
___ (3) Occasional pain in the lower abdomen
___ (4) Difficult (or no) erections
___ (5) Yearly tests find increases in PSA up to 1.0ng/ML
Tricky question. None of these warn of PC.
5. Sooner or later, you have an excellent chance that your doctor will tell you that you need a biopsy. To weigh this possibility, consider the frequency of biopsies. In the next 12 months, U.S. doctors will look for PC by performing biopsies on about ______ men. (Check one)
___ 100,000 men ____250,000 men
___ 500,000 men ____800,000 men
Correct response: 800,000 men
6. Those biopsies, year in and year out over the near future, will uncover new cases of PC in about -- (Choose one)
___ 65,000 men per year ___110,000 men per year
___220,000 men per year ___230,000 men per year Correct response: 230,000 men
7. Suppose your doctor performs a biopsy on you. Based on present national findings, the chance of finding PC in you is about -- (Choose one)
___ 10% ___15% ___25% __50%
___ 70% ___ More than 75%
Shocking but true: Only about 25% of biopsies discover PC.
8. In the U.S., PC currently kills about -- (Choose one)
(a) ___ 17,500 men each year (b) ___ 22,500 men each year
(c) ___ 27,500 men each year (d)___ 37,500 men each year
Correct response: (c) 27,500
9. According to PC experts, PC deaths will soar over the next 20 years in line with increases in the number of U.S. men over age 60. Estimated killings from PC are -- (Choose one.)
(a) 30,000 men each year (b) 35,000 men each year
(c) 37,500 men each year (d) 41,250 men each year Correct response: 37,500
10. In looking for PC via a biopsy, a doctor shoots hollow needles through the rectum, into the prostate, and withdraws tissue samples. For acceptable accuracy, the number of samples recommended by top pathologists is: (Choose one) (a) 6 to 8 (b) 9 or 10 (c) 11-12, possibly more. Correct response: (c) 11 or 12
11. Write T (True) or F (False) in the blanks with regard to this statement: PSA testing as recommended by experts --
____can find PC up to 10 years earlier than found via rectal
exams.
___ often finds PC while curable.
___ can virtually eliminate finding PC in incurable stages if it is performed regularly. Correct response: True for all choices.
12. If your doctor checks your PSA as a marker for PC, and tells you: "Your PSA is normal so nothing to worry about cancer," you should -- (Check one) ___be grateful for your good luck, thank him, and go home
___ recognize it is up to you to interpret the significance of the various changes in PSA
The second choice is correct.
13. Write T (true) or F (False) in the blank spaces before each response.
___A PSA below 4.0ng/ML rules out any chances of PC so a biopsy would waste effort and money.
___In men with PSAs above 10ng/ML, PC is so common a biopsy should be performed as soon as possible.
___No level of PSA whatsoever can be used to assure a man he does not have PC.
___PC is often found somewhere between 15-25% of men with PSAs below 4.0ng/Ml.
Only the 2nd, 3rd and 4th choices are true.
14. If your doctor performs a biopsy, he will immediately --
(Check one)
___Examine your biopsy tissues to see if your prostate is cancerous.
___Will have someone else examine your biopsy tissues.
The 2nd response is correct.
15. Three of every 4 biopsies prove negative, but abnormal cells called prostatic intraeplithelial neoplasia ("PIN") are discovered in one biopsy of every --- (Circle one)
5 7 10 15 22 30
Average findings of PIN: one in 10
16. When doctors discover PIN, they often recommend a repeat biopsy. If this were to happen to you, you should -- (Choose one.)
a. Thank him for the discovery and go for the repeat.
b. Postpone a decision
c. Thank him but refuse a repeat biopsy.
Correct response is c.
17. If a biopsy uncovers PC, health for your remaining years and life itself may be determined by -- (Check one)
a. A report issued by a doctor you have never seen, and most likely will never see.
b. The physician who conducted your biopsy.
c. The physician chosen for his skill in the treatment you accept.
d. The combination of a and c.
Correct choice is d, the combination of a and c.
Think about our reasons for eliminating b.
18. Some leading pathologists receive up to 50 biopsy reports to review every day. These reviews show why you must be careful about accepting your pathology report because the original findings are regularly changed in about -- (Choose one)
a. One in 10 pathology reports
b. One in 15 pathology reports
c. One in 3 pathology reports
Correct choice is (c), one in 3 reports
19. To evaluate your options in treating PC, the key factors are -- (Check any that apply)
a. Your age and overall health
b. Tumor's size and location in the prostate
c. Tumor's clinical stage
d. Tumor's Gleason score
All 4 factors are vital.
20. If you or a man you know is working his way to a choice of PC treatments, consider this observation from Dr. Peter Scardino:
"Because localized prostate cancer takes so long to progress, 90% of all men diagnosed with it survive ___ years regardless of what they do." (Emphasis added.) Circle average years of survival, no matter what the man does:
5 years 8 years 10 years 12 years 15 years
Correct answer is 10 years of survival.
21. If you are ever diagnosed with PC, which of the following treatments could you select as providing a complete cure for your cancer. (Encircle the letter of any choices.)
a. 3D-CRT radiation b. IMRT radiation c Proton radiation
d. Brachytherapy e. Surgical removal f.. hormonal therapy
g. Medically supervised management
Correct answers: all except hormonal therapy
and supervised management.
If prostate cancer concerns you, what should you do now?
First, you should recognize that spending a few minutes answering typical questions is far from providing everything you must know about this horrible killer. Currently we have published not one, not two, but three newsletters to cover the bare essentials of PC.
Join the Society and ask for our related newsletters such as the most recent one entitled:
Your Doctor + 1 Pathologist = 12 Prostate Cancer Options
How to join: Call 1-877-859-3735 Tuesdays or Fridays only 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Or send your name and address to: [email protected]
Special question? Telephone us or e-mail your question as explained just above,
Got a comment? It will be sincerely appreciated. While it's fresh on your mind let us know what you think about our goals, and what we do to achieve them.
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