Cancer Screen
Oncologist, professor, and writer Vinay Prasad was Russ Roberts’s guest on this week’s Econtalk podcast. The main topic was as the heading says, but was a more skeptical and self-reflecting treatment of the matter. As such, the conversation was informative, not simply repeating what I had taken to be the medicals system’s general biases. One bias, as I had assumed, says that cancer is such a serious worry that no amount of preventive intervention should ever be spared. Another is that there are no risks involved in screening or treatment regimens. Finding and aggressively fighting tumors seemed to me to be the preferred course no matter what.
Prasad certainly updated my views on the subject—including my assumptions of the debates in the medical field. I had thought they were absent. It turns out there are a lot of discussions about the best way to proceed within the field, even if some patients don’t want uncertainty, and even though some practitioners don’t wish to offer ambivalence.
Some of my prior assumptions received further support, though. For instance, the semi-official policies for best practices that most physicians and specialists adhere to often simply rule out less aggressive alternatives. The semi-official system also unduly rewards screenings by paying for them while discounting an entire array of possible dangerous side-effects of this approach.
Some in our commenter community have told us about their own cancer scares and treatments in the past, with positive outcomes. As they discuss in the podcast, the decision-making for doctors and patients here is complex and fraught, and it depends on each person’s perception of potential risks in deciding to treat or not to treat, whether from the perspective of the patient or physician. The very mention of cancer as “the C-word” tells just how frightening a diagnosis it can be.
And for the sake of clarity: I know people who have faced cancer diagnosis, and I would never second-guess another person’s decisions about what they choose to do. It is a deeply worrisome diagnosis. I do not envy anyone having to make choices about how to proceed for themselves. If anything, the podcast conversation highlighted further reasons for being circumspect.
They cover issues ranging from the speed of different cancers to differences between the aggressive American approach to diagnostics contrasted against the typically more reserved European approach. For instance, the Europeans generally do not conduct colonoscopies and cite the lack of evidence in support of the examination. The American approach overlooks the various risks of the procedure while also rewarding doctors handsomely for each one carried out. I could certainly identify with Prasad when he said his own doctors would be pestering him to submit to it soon enough—I’ve surpassed that age, and they really do hound you to comply.
On the other hand, anecdotes such as the story Prasad tells of the retiree who was a heavy smoker and wasn’t worried about longevity sounds all-too-familiar to me: the worry about lung spots found in screenings the patient allowed himself to get talked into resulted in years of aggressive treatments that may have ruined his quality of life—likely with little regard for the downside risks.
The video version of the discussion is here:
Morning to any who stop by...
My local public library is advertising for a board member for their board. I applied. It is unlikely I will be even considered, let alone hired, but, thought it was worth a shot and something I would enjoy. (One of the current members is a Dr etc., so I assume they are looking for higher-level professionals than I am.) With a more advanced degree. And would be doing something for the community.
Today is Welsh Rarebit Day, Pastor's Wife Day & Bowling League Day
All these years I thought it was actually a rabbit...lol.which I would never eat...here is what they say about it;
Welsh rarebit or Welsh rabbit is a dish consisting of a hot cheese-based sauce served over slices of toasted bread. The original 18th-century name of the dish was the jocular "Welsh rabbit", which was later reinterpreted as "rarebit", as the dish contains no rabbit. I would never eat rabbit, but, I doubt I would like rarebit either, due to the cheese mostly...lol
Even if I was a protestant and not agnostic these days...I would make a terrible Pastor's wife for a plethora of reasons...lol...
It actually says "U.S." Bowling Leagues, but that seemed redundant ( and also unnecessary) to me, as National is referring to the U.S. I used to be an awesome bowler, I miss it in ways, though now arthritic knees and an unwillingness to be obligated on a regular basis keeps me from doing so.
A high of 87 today, sunny now, partly cloudy later in the day. Rick's family is having a cook out and I am debating about going, the heat, and I feel kinda yucky this morning.
Placido Domingo, everyone. It's currently not hot here. I hope this is a new trend!