The Knights of St John

While the reliability of PSA (prostate specific antigen) test is still a subject of discussions, it is said to be the reason in increased discovery of prostate cancer even in asymptomatic men. In 2006, the disease is reportedly 30% of reason for tumours as more and more men are diagnosed to have prostate cancer.

PSA is produced by both normal and abnormal tissues. It increases as prostate grows when men age or in the presence of cancer or when there is benign conditions like Benign Prostatic Hypertropy.

Out of 100 men who undergo prostatectomy, there is one death. A few experience malfunctions in the bladder while a big percentage suffer from erectile dysfunctions.

PSA testing is clouded by questions and it has its pros and cons to be considered.

Pros:

• It can help in early detection of prostate cancer even those without symptoms.
• There is a high success rate for treatments due to early detection.
• Side-effects and risks are minimal compared to those in an advanced stage cancer.

Cons:

• Early detection could mean unnecessary life-quality-changing treatments to a slow progressing prostate cancer that is not instantly life threatening.
• Results could be erratic such as an abnormal reading in the absence of cancer and normal reading even when cancer is present.
• There are no clinical evidences yet that PSA tests have saved lives or have helped prolonged those tested positive and were monitored.

A man, aged above 75 is likely to die due to prostate cancer while 25% of men with a PSA of 3-4 are with prostate cancer, said the the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Ageing. A deeper understanding of PSA terminologies is important.

• Single PSA Level – this single PSA test evaluates the progress of a possible prostate cancer.

• Free to Total PSA Ratio (FTTR) – this tells apart the reasons for high PSA (whether due to malignant or non-malignant causes). Plasma proteins are affected by PSA reading due to cancer. A low FTTR may mean cancer is present.

• PSA velocity (PSA-V) – PSA that is below 10 is separated into three groups:

PSA <10 and PSA-V <0.3 ng/mL/yr      -   Unlikely a significant prostate cancer

PSA<10 and PSA –v>0.75ng/mL/yr      -   Possible malignancy; for further investigation

PSA<10 and PSA-V>1.0ng/mL/yr         -   Prostate biopsy recommended

• PSA Doubling Time (PSA-DT) – this happens when the disease has grown beyond the prostate and may happen before or after a surgery.

PSA Test Reference

PSA-DT >1 year                            -   Tumour (if present) is likely to be confined to prostate

PSA-DT <9 months                       -   Suggests metastatic disease

PSA <3 in men aged <75 years     -   Patient unlikely to die from prostate cancer

PSA 3-4                                         -    25% may have prostate cancer

Have you thought about prostate cancer and its consequences in case you acquire it? You might want to have a checkup. Early detection is vital. After all, there is a life insurance product that covers prostate cancer.

• Each year in Australia, around 3,300 men die of prostate cancer.
• One patient yield to the disease every 3 hours.
• About 20,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed yearly.
• Almost 32 new patients are diagnosed every day.

In case you or your loved one is found to have prostate cancer, you might want to think about taking on a cover. There is a life insurance cover product that can help you. A crisis cover in place can help ease the burden on you and your family because prostate cancer can happen to anyone.

When asked what to do in the event of a 10% payrise, varied answers were given by recent TAL survey respondents. Still, the answers did not indicate life insurance as the priority. According to chief executive Jim Minto, deleveraging is going on with consumers as they still put GCF on top of their list.

What they’d do with the extra money, 58% of the respondents said they’d add it to their savings. The rest said they’d pay off bills (30%) or pay off mortgage (28%). Another 25% would use the money on reducing debts (credit card or personal loan).

The top 4 answers indicated that while most Australians understand the importance of saving up and reducing debts. But, protecting their wealth seems to be least in their priorities. While some showed an interest in it, only 5% said they would take out insurance or upgrade what they have. Another 4% said they would consider another form of insurance.

In a study by Lifewise/NATSEM, it showed that 95% of Australians are without complete cover and the TAL survey was to better understand how consumers view life insurance. Minto said the without enough insurance, people may have difficulty in meeting their obligations in case of a disruption in their income generation.

He further added that the industry has to better impart to people the value and importance of life insurance and its forms such as income protection, permanent disability cover, lump sum on death or critical illness.

Did it ever occur to you how your family would be able to cope in case you get sick or injured and become incapable to earn an income for a certain period of time? Or worse, how about if you die right now, leaving your spouse and small children behind? Any of these situations can be really devastating. But you can very much do something to at least lessen the burden for your family in case any of these happens. Protect your family’s future by getting yourself covered by life insurance and income protection. Whether you’re still young or very much in good health, there’s no better time to get insurance coverage than now. Here, check out AIA Life Insurance to help you get started.

Fervent in providing life insurance with $2.5 million in claims paid daily, TAL, for the 6th time, upgraded its Accelerated Protection program on 1 November 2012.

With feedback gathered from the market, partner advisers and factors affecting the life insurance industry, the following improvements were made:

• Over 100 developments were granted, majority for the benefit of blue collar jobs, following an extensive review on occupations.
• Business Expenses Insurance is now made available for BB+, BB and B policies.
• A new SMSF benefit is granted to help in the updating of a trust deed in case of an insured’s death. Payment can be as much as $5,000.
• In consideration of people who render longer working years and choose level premiums, they can increase the age up to 70 for lump sum cover.
• Existing client quotes on Accelerated Protection may now be increased or decreased online.

To help different market segments and different experiences, new business tools like 3 insightful videos and marketing materials are available at the TAL Adviser Center. Need more information then speak to a preferred Tal Life insurance adviser like CCA Fp