Giuliani's Prostate Cancer Figure Is Disputed

In a radiocommunication advertizement playing in New Hampshire and in addresses along the political campaign trail, have cited statistics to cut at the bosom of his Democratic rivals' wellness attention proposals, which he have derided as European-style "socialist" bes after that volition less the criterion of attention in the United States.

Cheryl Senter/Associated Press

Rudolph W. Giuliani have used statistics on prostate gland malignant neoplastic disease in ads and speeches.

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"I had five, six old age ago," Mr. Giuliani, a Republican presidential candidate, said in a address that have been turned into the radiocommunication commercial. "My opportunity of surviving prostate gland malignant neoplastic disease — and, give thanks God, I was cured of it — in the United States? Eighty-two percent. My opportunity of surviving prostate gland malignant neoplastic disease in England? Only 44 percentage under socialized medicine."

Mr. Giuliani's Democratic challengers would reason that they are not advocating government-run health attention in their programs to widen insurance to the uninsured. But, beyond that, the 44 percentage figure that Mr. Giuliani have been citing is in dispute.

The Office for National Statistics in United Kingdom states the five-year survival charge per unit from prostate gland malignant neoplastic disease there is 74.4 percent. And also state it is partial to compare prostate gland malignant neoplastic disease statistics in United Kingdom with those in the United States because in the United States the is more than likely to be diagnosed in its early stages.

"Certainly, if you intensively silver screen for prostate gland cancer, you will happen early disease," said Dr. Ian M. Thompson, president of the section of urogenital medicine at the University of Lone-Star State at San Antonio. "And simply because you happen it earlier, you will always have got longer endurance after the disease is diagnosed."

Maria Comella, a spokeswoman for Mr. Giuliani, said yesterday that the 44 percentage figure came from an article in City Journal, a publication of the Manhattan Institute, a conservative research organization.

"The commendation is an article in a highly respected intellectual diary written by an expert at a highly respected believe army tank which the city manager read because he is an intellectually engaged human being," Ms. Comella said in an e-mail message.

That article, titled "The Ugly Truth About Canadian Health Care," was written by Dr. Saint David Gratzer, a senior chap at the Manhattan Institute and an advisor to the Giuliani campaign.

In an interview, Dr. Gratzer said the statistic came from the Commonwealth Fund, a non-profit-making grouping in New House Of York specializing in wellness attention policy issues, but he acknowledged that it was seven old age old and "crude."

But the Commonwealth Fund said yesterday that Dr. Gratzer had misused its research by calculating a five-year survival charge per unit based on information on prostate gland malignant neoplastic disease relative incidence and mortality rates in the United States and Britain.

"Five-year survival rates cannot be calculated from relative incidence and mortality rates, as any good epidemiologist knows," the grouping said in a statement.

Dr. Gratzer dismissed the Commonwealth Fund's statement, saying the grouping had "an ideological bias." Asked if Mr. Giuliani would go on to reiterate the statistic, and if the advertizement would go on to run, Ms. Comella responded by e-mail: "Yes. We will."

Gina Kolata contributed reporting.