Movember

By Rick Nason, PhD, CFA
Partner, RSD Solutions Inc.

We are now two weeks into Movember – the fund raising month for prostate cancer research where men grow mustaches in the hopes of raising money for prostate cancer research.  It is a worthy cause, and II have to admit that having an excuse to have a silly mustache for a month prompted me to grow a ‘stache (it also prompted my wife to ignore me for a month …)

Of course prostate cancer has been in the news over the last few months after U.S. health officials declared the PSA test was causing more harm than good.  The PSA test (Prostate-specific antigen test) has for years been a recommended procedure for men in their 40’s and 50’s.  With early detection, the prognosis for someone with prostate cancer is generally quite good.  Thus the PSA test was highly recommended, and widely recommended.

Many men with prostate cancer live full lives with few to no adverse effects of the cancer.  Of course it must be said that the cancer can be deadly as well.  However, the rise of PSA testing has led to many men having biopsies performed, and these biopsies can have adverse effects.  Thus it becomes a trade-off between the harm caused by the follow-up biopsies, versus the usually, but not always benign effects of the cancer itself. 

The decision of whether or not to have a PSA performed is a discussion that each man should have with their physician.  I am not advocating one way or the other, and that is not the purpose of this blog.

What I do want to point out in this blog is the interesting fact that many physicians are asking whether the preventative medicine (or preventative test in this case) is causing more harm than good.  I think that we as risk managers also have to ask if some of our actions to prevent even the most minor downside risks might have unintended consequences or side-effects that are also causing more harm than good. 

Meanwhile, I wonder if my wife would notice if I again grew a mustache for Movember …