The ‘Buffet Rule’ for prostate cancer
Don't ignore PSA test
BOSTON, Mass.—Billionaire Warren Buffet, who is nearly 82 years old, announced that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“I discovered the cancer because my PSA level recently jumped beyond its normal elevation and a biopsy seemed warranted,” Buffet explains. Diagnosed with stage 1 prostate cancer, he has chosen radiation treatment five days a week for six weeks.
Buffet ignored the recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in having the PSA test. The USPSTF recommends against men older than 75 having the test, and recently issued a draft recommendation against regular PSA testing for all men unless they experienced some “symptom” of prostate cancer. Buffet did not wait for symptoms, based upon news reports, and had he done so there is a good chance that early detection of his cancerl would have been greatly jeopardized.
While we are witnessing a push for the “Buffet Rule” to normalize the income tax rates between the rich and those not rich, I am in favor of the “Buffet Rule” for the early detection of prostate cancer using the PSA test.
The Buffet Rule for Prostate Cancer: “Men at all income levels should have the right to know and to choose how to manage their prostate health.”
Ironically, this is the rule in our country today. However, if the current draft USPSTF recommendation is finalized then that right essentially goes away for some who may not have Buffet’s means.
Why? It is almost certain that most insurance carriers will no longer cover the PSA tests unless a man is visibly suffering from prostate cancer, which is much too late for early detection of the disease. I believe this will have a negative impact on all men, but could be devastating for those men at high risk for prostate cancer—Black men, those with a family history of the cancer and Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange.
When President Obama had his PSA test this past October, I stated my fears that the USPSTF is driving government policies that will result in a two-tiered system for prostate health management. The “Buffet Rule” for prostate cancer should be protected for all men, especially since the death rate from the disease has declined by 40 percent since the rule has been in effect.
Why should our country take a step backwards in fighting the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men?
Here are the stats for Black men:
“Our men are diagnosed with the disease at a rate 60 percent higher than all other men and die at a rate 140 percent higher. This is the largest racial disparity for any type of major cancer in the United States.
PHEN is a nonprofit 501c3 organization founded in 2003 by Thomas A. Farrington a prostate cancer survivor and author of the books “Battling the Killer Within” and “Battling the Killer Within and Winning.”
PHEN’s mission includes eliminating the African American prostate cancer disparity and working towards a cure for the disease. Black men in the United States have a prostate cancer mortality rate 2.4 times higher than other men.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Scientists from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA announced today they have created a new device which could enable doctors to create personalized prostate cancer treatments.
If more studies confirm the technology’s effectiveness, the NanoVelcro Chip would enable doctors to access and identify cancerous cells in the bloodstream, which would provide the diagnostic information needed to create individually tailored treatments, according to Cedars-Sinai.
MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., a unit of Warren Buffett’s conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, has purchased two solar power projects in a deal valued at between $2 billion and $2.5 billion.
MidAmerican, the electric utility, said Wednesday it has purchased the Antelope Valley Solar Projects from SunPower Corp.
Based in Los Angeles and Kern in California, the projects convert energy from light into electricity. The companies said the combined projects are the largest solar photovoltaic power development in the world.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The United States Preventive Services Task Force has issued its final recommendation for early detection of prostate cancer, effectively eliminating the PSA test and leaving American men without a defense in the fight against prostate cancer, according to Skip Lockwood, CEO of Zero—The Project to End Prostate Cancer.
The social networking powerhouse Facebook will offer its Initial Public Offering (IPO) this month with a share price of $28 to $35, according to an the United State Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) report. That would set the company’s total value as high as $86.6 billion, although it is expected that the price will rise before the company finally goes public.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Major Los Angeles-area landmarks—including City Hall, the Capitol Records building and the pylons at LAX—will be “turning blue” this week to raise awareness of prostate cancer.
The disease is a major American health problem that has long been misunderstood and insufficiently discussed by men and their families, according to the Los Angeles-based Prostate Cancer Foundation.
