I know my thoughts on the subject are unpopular.

But I've had the chance to get friendly with my mortality, and I've come to a place of believing that that is a good thing.

I think we should all make these decisions from a place of strength and not a place of fear. That is, as my sig line a few weeks ago said, "ask the next question." Decide what you will choose at each step BEFORE you decide to have any tests. If this is positive, then what? If I choose this treatment, then what? After the treatment is "complete," then what? This doesn't only go for cancer testing of course, but because that is such a huge fear-driven business in the USA, it's one of the kinds of testing that we think about most often, and when a test comes up positive or equivocal, it's so easy to let abject terror and the directions of outsiders drive our decision-making.

Understand at each step what quality of life you would be giving up (including the emotional quality of life). Study the statistics and understand what your real chances are of a greater quantity of life. When you're healthy and before you have any tests of any kind, make a decision as to what quality of life is acceptable to you and what you're willing to give up for the chance of a longer lifetime. Enshrine these decisions in your Living Will, and in specific, preferably videotaped discussions with your doctor and your family.