Webroot Battles Prostate Cancer

Are you sure, Mike? I can't make out any moustache there, it must be so light! ;)

Good luck on raising money for this worthwhile cause. 🙂

Thanks, Tony!
 
I wanted to photo-shop one in for myself! 😃

Donation made for a great cause! Thanks Yegor, Mike & Chris and the rest of the Webroot Team! ;)
 
Daniel

I can't Edit my previous post but I wanted add that my Father is a 14 year Prostate Cancer survivor so it touches home and he is now 78 and still going strong.
 
Daniel

What Mike meant to say is 1 in 36 men are killed by prostate cancer, so yep, that's a pretty serious effect.  1 in 6 are diagnosed with it.
 
12 days of growth...
 
 
 

Thank you so much for your donation and for sharing your story, Daniel. 
 
I am happy to hear that your father is going strong. :D
 
 

Private donation sent to Support the battle on Cancer. Go Webroot Team!
Hey Mike, how's the mustache going? LOL 😃

Yea I would like to see an Update before you guys shave it off. LOL Doesn't Kit have a face only his mother could love? Just kidding Kit you are a Handsome Dude. :D
 
TH

Well, gee, thanks.  :P
 
That's one of the downsides to phone-shots.  Sure, I can shoot a mad photo or so with a DSLR, but that's when I'm BEHIND the camera. My arms aren't long enough to do myself justice.  (That and honestly 12 years of stationary tech work has put more pudge on my frame than I like.  T^T )

From Movember's website: "Movember's primary objective is to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives. We want everyone to know that most cancers are highly curable if caught in the early stages, therefore Movember aims to increase early detection, diagnosis and effective treatment. This will ultimately reduce the number of deaths from cancer."
 
sadly, it's not very clear how you increase early detection and reduce deaths without inflicting considerable harm given the available screening tests. The available prostate cancer screening tests stink. If you dig into the Movember's site they sort of make this point: See http://us.movember.com/uploads/files/2012/PSA_Test_Final.pdf
 
For a more complete information whch is a lot less coy about the usefulness of the tests and the potential harms see:
http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/prostatecancerscreening.htm
 
See especially:
Are You Considering Being Screened? Facts for Consumers
Prostate Cancer Screening Statistics at a Glance

@ wrote:
From Movember's website: "Movember's primary objective is to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives. We want everyone to know that most cancers are highly curable if caught in the early stages, therefore Movember aims to increase early detection, diagnosis and effective treatment. This will ultimately reduce the number of deaths from cancer."
 
sadly, it's not very clear how you increase early detection and reduce deaths without inflicting considerable harm given the available screening tests.

"...research projects for better diagnostics, treatment and cures of prostate cancer."
 
Such as...
 
- PSMA-based PET scans
- Whole genome sequencing
- Identification of the types of cancer to improve targeted treatment
 
Also support services.
 
The above is from the site.
 
There is nothing indicating that they are just trying to encourage people to go get an unrecommended test.  Even the PDF you link to states: "Discuss your situation with your doctor to decide if PSA testing is right for you."
 
And to add to the intrigue:
"The PSA recommendation [from the US Preventative Services Task Force] has been controversial in the medical community, especially after a major European trial showed routine testing in healthy men resulted in about a 21% reduction in the rate of prostate cancer deaths after 11 years of follow-up."
 
 

The US Preventative Services Task Force is widely considered as the gold standard recommendations for primary care screening in the US. They have been controversial with some specialist groups  (who have an interest in screening), some charities (but not all) and some politicians. For more on the conflict between primary care and specilists on screening issues see: Reconciling Primary Care and Specialist Perspectives on Prostate Cancer Screening.
 
You write that the USPSTF is controversial "especially after a major European trial showed routine testing in healthy men resulted in about a 21% reduction in the rate of prostate cancer deaths...". In fact that study was part of the evidence the USPSTF assessed when devloping their recommendations. One reads 21% reduction and that sounds wonderful but it's a relative number not an absolute one.  This is why 'awareness' charties like Movember are problematic. They push lots of scary statistics but don't provide any context for making sense of them in a way that would lead to informed descion-making.
 
Here's the link to the abstract of the original study in the NEJM: Screening and prostate-cancer mortality in a randomized European study. The study found a high risk of overdiagnosis.  The follow-up study that you cite is here: Prostate-cancer mortality at 11 years of follow-up.
 
 
So what does it mean? It means that for every 1000 men screened:
1 life might be saved
30 to 40 men will develop erectile dysfunction or urinary incontinence due to treatment, 
2 men will experience a serious cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack, due to treatment
1 man will develop a serious blood clot in his leg or lungs due to treatment
And for every 3,000 men screened 1 man will die due to complications from surgical treatment
 
Here's what the authors of the study you site conclude:
"Despite the reduction in the rate of death from prostate cancer, screening had no effect on all-cause mortality. More information on the balance of benefits and adverse effects, as well as the cost-effectiveness, of prostate-cancer screening is needed before general recommendations can be made." They are in agreement with the USPSTF that the evidence to support screening doesn't exist. 
 
For more see comments by the Chief Medical Officer at the American Cancer Society on prostate cancer screening.
And here's the NCI's page on PSA testing. There's really nothing controversial about the US Preventative Services Task Force's take on the PSA test. 
 
For more on Movember, including comment by physicians on the Movember's awareness campaigns, see Health News Reviews. 
 

Your focus on one potentially-faulty diagnostic test is very impressive.
 
Some of the referenced resources are decidedly not objective.  One pushes claims:
Best known of these may be the Livestrong Foundation, from which Lance Armstrong yesterday “severed all formal ties.”
 
This claim appears to put fault on the Livestrong Foundation, however followup through the link shows:
 
"Just a few weeks after his resignation as Livestrong's chairman, Lance Armstrong stepped down from the foundation's board of directors in an effort to help spare it from the continuing controversy surrounding his cycling career."
 
So the Livestrong Foundation is fine.  Lance doesn't want to tear it down with his own controversy.
 
Ignored in this case is the idea of better diagnostics with the screening as a cause to look at non-invasive and non-damaging diagnostics.
The main web page on Movember for health awareness does not mention screening unless sub-linked on the left.  Instead focusing on drinking in moderation, healthy eating, and other very general and good-advice health items.  If they can encourage people to live healthier lives by throwing out scary numbers, then by all means I'm for it.  Can't seem to encourage them by other means.
 
Webroot is big on security and knowledge, so we advocate INFORMED decisions and research.  We at no point say "Go get something unhealthy."
 
Mainly though, don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. And if all else fails, see the forum guidelines regarding "Don't kill the mood". When that is referenced, you may take your objection to Movember elsewhere.

Hi All,
 
I posted a recap for our Webroot Movember efforts here! And there are some new pictures, too!
 
Check it out and let me know what you think.