The decision is easy from a utilitarian point of view: time = money = life, not to mention the direct cost of hiring doctors to administer the test. Easy calculation.
But it is interesting to note that many people are less comfortable taking risks with other people’s lives than their own. The statistic I was taught in medical school is that 1 life is saved for every 65 prostatectomies performed, and these are surgeries with severe side effects such as incontinence and impotence. Now, most people would advise having the surgery, but many people, perhaps rationally, choose not to.
“In the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study, results from 1291 men aged 39 to 79 who underwent retropubic RP for localized prostate cancer over a one year period (1994 to 1995) were analyzed [66]. At 24 months after surgery, 1.6 percent reported no urinary control, while 7 and 42 percent reported frequent and occasional leakage, respectively (compared with 2 and 9 percent at baseline) (show table 5). The incidence of incontinence increased with age (14 percent in men ages 75 to 79 compared with 0.7 to 4 percent in younger age groups)....In the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study, 42 percent of men undergoing RP reported that their sexual performance was a moderate to large problem at 24 months (compared with 18 percent at baseline), and 60 percent were not able to have erections firm enough for sexual intercourse (compared with 16 percent at baseline)”
The decision is easy from a utilitarian point of view: time = money = life, not to mention the direct cost of hiring doctors to administer the test. Easy calculation.
But it is interesting to note that many people are less comfortable taking risks with other people’s lives than their own. The statistic I was taught in medical school is that 1 life is saved for every 65 prostatectomies performed, and these are surgeries with severe side effects such as incontinence and impotence. Now, most people would advise having the surgery, but many people, perhaps rationally, choose not to.
How common are the side effects you mention?
According to UpToDate:
“In the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study, results from 1291 men aged 39 to 79 who underwent retropubic RP for localized prostate cancer over a one year period (1994 to 1995) were analyzed [66]. At 24 months after surgery, 1.6 percent reported no urinary control, while 7 and 42 percent reported frequent and occasional leakage, respectively (compared with 2 and 9 percent at baseline) (show table 5). The incidence of incontinence increased with age (14 percent in men ages 75 to 79 compared with 0.7 to 4 percent in younger age groups)....In the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study, 42 percent of men undergoing RP reported that their sexual performance was a moderate to large problem at 24 months (compared with 18 percent at baseline), and 60 percent were not able to have erections firm enough for sexual intercourse (compared with 16 percent at baseline)”