As “Movember” draws to a close, the MPP with arguably the best moustache at Queen’s Park wants to do more than just raise awareness of prostate cancer. NDP MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) would like the Ontario Health Insurance Plan to cover the cost of all prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests. “Early detection of prostate cancer saves lives,” he told reporters, noting when detected early the survival rate is nearly 100 per cent. Stuart Edmonds, vice-president of Prostate Cancer Canada, said more testing would lead to “better outcomes for everyone.”Edmonds pointed out that OHIP already covers the cost of screening tests for breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and cervical cancer. “Most international and national screening guidelines recommend against population-based or general screening purposes for prostate cancer because there is no conclusive evidence that prostate cancer screening reduces illness or death associated with prostate cancer,” said Chazan.

Source: thestar November 26, 2019 17:46 UTC