When you go through the screening systems at our national airports, there are often videos that describe the process, reminding you to take any liquids out of your suitcase and so forth. I think it is time for cancer centers (and others) to do the same thing at their annual screening events for breast, prostate and other cancers. I have no problem with participating in screening events if the participants are fully informed about the benefits, risks, and the controversies surrounding screening for prostate cancer. However without such information, I fear that most men simply open Pandora’s box without really knowing what they are getting into. Does a 75 year old man realize that his chances of dying from prostate cancer are tiny compared to the other lurking causes of death? Does a 60 year old man understand that a Gleason 6 cancer can be followed safely with active surveillance, but that it will require “life long” repetitive biopsies? The NEJM article on this issue this week is worth everyone reading. Marketing should not be what medicine is about.
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