Tonight - Brian Little & Tony Daley Forum at Villa Park

[dave.woodhall]

It's free, it starts at 6.30, it's in aid of prostate cancer awareness and you can get tickets here.

https://prostatecanceruk.org/villa

[dave.woodhall]

A really enjoyable night with a serious message. Tony Daley was good, Brian is really funny and Pat Murphy is a great compere. Most importantly, there were some very sobering moments that us old blokes should take notice of.

[dave shelley]

A really enjoyable night with a serious message. Tony Daley was good, Brian is really funny and Pat Murphy is a great compere. Most importantly, there were some very sobering moments that us old blokes should take notice of.

I've banged on on here a few times that we should all get ourselves checked out regularly.  A good start is to have your blood tested as there are indicators that will show if there are any concerns.  It could save your life.

Remember, men over fifty shouldn't wear grey trousers!

[oldhill_avfc]

I don't disagree with the sentiment, but bear in mind there's no reliable prostate cancer screening test and a recent report from cancer research uk suggested that early investigations cause more problems than they solve.

[purpletrousers]

I don't disagree with the sentiment, but bear in mind there's no reliable prostate cancer screening test and a recent report from cancer research uk suggested that early investigations cause more problems than they solve.

Could you summarise/link current advice Oldhill?

[oldhill_avfc]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/06/prostate-screening-saves-no-lives-may-do-harm-good/

It was mentioned on R4 Today Programme yesterday and is summarised in the Telegraph - link above.

The basic problem is that the blood test (PSA) can come back positive for a variety of reasons other than cancer, and unfortunately also be negative when there is actually early cancer.

False positive results could lead to invasive further testing which can actually harm the patient (infection, long term pain, incontinence, impotence).  False negatives clearly cause failure to diagnose.

The other point is that the tests don't give any information on the potential of the cancer to threaten life.   There was always the adage that most men die with prostate cancer than than from it.

The intended and proper use of the PSA test is as a tumour marker, ie to track the progression of a cancer or the effectiveness of its treatment.

The current advice is to see a doctor if you have symptoms, eg poor flow, dribble at the end, getting up several times at night or taking a while to start.

Clearly if you've got a strong family history then getting checked out makes sense too.  Ethnicity comes into it with black people being higher risk.

If you're ok with the uncertainty in the blood test results, then most doctors are happy to do the PSA.  A low level would be 'reassuring' but not conclusive.  A markedly raised level would be concerning but most patients with highly raised levels are symptomatic.

The grey area in the middle is what causes the problems.

[willenhall villa]

Agree Dave. A great night and really well put together with Prostate Cancer UK and the Villa Foundation. Brian, Tony and Pat where excellent and would of happily paid for that evening.

[Damo70]

Didn't Brian Little lose his job as youth team coach at Villa due to an argument with Graham Turner over Turner taking Daley from the youth set up into the first team set up when Little felt it was too soon?

[dave.woodhall]

Didn't Brian Little lose his job as youth team coach at Villa due to an argument with Graham Turner over Turner taking Daley from the youth set up into the first team set up when Little felt it was too soon?

yes. It was hinted at last night.

[purpletrousers]

Thanks Oldhill

Needs updating but similar to what I just read https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/psa-testing/

[thick_mike]

...and this episode of Inside Health (repeated this week) gives a comprehensive review of the current best practise around prostrate cancer diagnosis and treatment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09tdyk1