I am sure we would all agree that GP's should be better trained in latching on to patients who may need further investigation but there are pressures on them to avoid scans and referrals so they are in a difficult position. Perhaps a better arrangement, as exits in some larger practices, is where appropriate, for a patient's regular doctor to refer him to a GP colleague more experienced or with special interest in a certain area of medicine. However, not all men exhibit symptoms of PCa, or at least until the disease has advanced. Brian here is one of them. I was only diagnosed - no symptoms, because I have a very different problem and my GP at the time, suggested adding a PSA test to other blood tests. So Brian and I were fortunate in coincidentally being diagnosed, though in my case by then the disease was already locally advanced so an earlier diagnosis would have given a better chance of cure. There must be many men who don't exhibit symptoms but have undiagnosed PCa, as they have no apparent reason to visit their GP's. So no matter how well trained such GP's are, by not seeing them, PCa will continue to advance in some men until it is too late for curative treatment. Such men would benefit from an invitation to be screened and awareness about PCa.
Barry |