PSA CONTROVERSY: TO TEST OR NOT TO TEST?Â
 A panel of medical experts will explore the controversial recommendation by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) that men no longer have PSA Screening for prostate cancer. Hosted by Scripps Florida in Jupiter, Saturday, March 3, 2012, the panel discussion will be a featured segment of the 5th Annual Ingalls Memorial Prostate Cancer Seminar.  After years of being told that early detection of cancers save lives, the USPSTF now says that the PSA is not a useful test because it cannot differentiate between low-grade, non-aggressive cancers and their more virulent, dangerous forms. “This recommendation has sent shock waves through the adult male population in the U.S.,” says David S. Most, PhD, Executive Director, Health Information Research, Inc. (HIR).  Panel members Alan Pollack, MD, PhD, Professor and Chairman, Radiation Oncology, University of Miami; Abraham Schwartzberg, MD, Cancer Center of South Florida, West Palm Beach; Kendall Nettles, PhD, Associate Professor, Cancer Biology Department, Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter; and Johannes Vieweg, MD, Professor and Chairman, Department of Urology, University of Florida, Gainesville, will take part in the Q&A Forum following their individual presentations that will begin at 9:00 a.m. in the Scripps’ Rodney B. Fink Auditorium. The panel will be moderated by David F. Paulson, MD, Past Chairman and Professor, Department of Urology, Duke University, Durham, NC. The argument that will certainly be explored by the presenting physicians and researchers is that the side effects of primary prostate treatments are too negative and often result in unnecessary incontinence and impotence. The fact that quality of life is too often compromised with marginal survival benefits has led the USPSTF to conclude that the PSA is not the effective tool it was once considered. Since the USPSTF recommendation, the American Cancer Society, the American Urological Foundation and others have adjusted their own guidelines accordingly. Some are in favor of continued screening but with more detailed discussion with their health providers, while others are in agreement with the USPSTF. During the independent presentations, seminar participants will learn about other options for prostate cancer diagnostics including Dr. Pollack’s presentation on the use of the MRI. Dr. Schwartzberg will discuss the new generation of drugs for managing the disease, and Dr. Nettles will review the current trends in prostate cancer research. In addition, Dr. Vieweg will introduce the newly created Prostate Cancer Advisory Council, which was created by the Florida Legislature to identify the disparities in prostate cancer care, geographically and clinically, throughout the State of Florida. The Council is tasked with determining what should be done to improve access to quality care for all Floridian men $35 Per Person
Agenda
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