Prostate cancer education sessions for Bay

Men who otherwise would not be seen dead sporting a moustache get behind the cause and grow one for the month of November and raise funds for prostate cancer awareness and research. Photo/File

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand is calling for all men in the Western Bay of Plenty living with advanced prostate cancer, and their families, to learn more about the disease and take an active role in defining their own health outcomes.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation is hosting a public forums to inform men and their families who are living with advanced, or metastatic, prostate cancer at Grace Hospital Education Room on November 17, at 6.30pm.

"Current treatment options are limited for men who have spread of prostate cancer that has become resistant to hormone treatment," said Graeme Woodside, Chief Executive of the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

"By providing men, and their families with detailed information about metastatic prostate cancer, they will be in a stronger position to make informed choices about their treatments, and the options available to them to extend their life or to enhance their quality of life."

Advanced prostate cancer, and particularly end-of-life treatment and care, is a topic that many men shy away from speaking about publically.

"We need to get better at talking about men's health issues and prostate cancer specifically if we are to ensure men have access to resources and treatment options equal to that available for breast cancer. Only then can we hope to improve options and outcomes for New Zealand men with metastatic prostate cancer," he said.

In order to provide up to date information about prostate cancer progression, treatment options and pathways of care, a series of education sessions will be held in Tauranga and Dunedin.

These follow a similar series held in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in 2014.

Leading specialists involved in the treatment and care of men with metastatic prostate cancer will present information about the disease, international treatment guidelines as well as the current treatment options and outcomes for New Zealand men. A patient will also share his experience of living with advanced disease.

Supported by personal stories from men living with metastatic prostate cancer, these sessions aim to explore the current challenges faced by New Zealand men and encourage men with advanced disease to talk about their futures and advocate for change.

To register your interest and receive more information please email melissa@prostate.org.nz or phone 0800 477 678

PROSTATE CANCER IN NEW ZEALAND:

In New Zealand, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and the third most common cause of cancer death in men after lung cancer and bowel cancer.

Approximately 3,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year.

One in 13 men will develop prostate cancer before the age of 75.

Approximately 600 men die from metastatic prostate cancer each year.

Maori men are 72 per cent more likely to die of prostate cancer once diagnosed than non-Maori men.

Between 10 and 20 per cent of men with prostate cancer progress to advanced (metastatic) prostate cancer within 5 years of diagnosis.

Twenty per cent of men with metastatic prostate cancer do not receive Androgen Deprivation Therapy within their first year of diagnosis.