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Finally stating the obvious

Doctor Panels Recommend Fewer Tests for Patients

I have a friend who has had a rising PSA, meaning that he is on the lookout for prostate cancer.

He panicked. He went to this doctor and that to get a second opinion. He finally found a doc who would recommend a full MRI body scan to see if there was any cancer in his body.

The results were indeterminate because that procedure will not really reveal prostate cancer cells or the degree to which the cells have matured. The Gleason Number.

He and they skipped the simple biopsy which is, actually, not indicated until there are several PSA risings. An easy and not very uncomfortable test.

Now, he has decided he is cancer free. Even though the unnecessary test which is very costly is not a valid test for the suspected disease.

This is crazy. But a doc saw him coming and gave him what he wanted and told him what he wanted to hear.

This is going on all the time.

I don't do tests. I don't go to a doc who is afraid to practice the art of medicine on me and will not ask for tests that are unnecessary nor will he send me to a shop where the docs are known for extra testing.

I have never had a number of the tests that many people have had on the chance that they are sick.

But I was brought up this way. Most medical symptoms will pass. A doctor is someone to work with.

I believe that many tests which are invasive (colonoscopies you can get wholesale here) should be conducted without a reason to do so with prior simpler approaches.

Of course, we all like to see our biases justified. But this is a whole gaggle of responsible physicians and professional boards who represent their interests.