Conscience Is Pricked And The Veil Is Lifted

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday March 19, 2008

writes Ron Bender

LOVE the "little prick" ads or loathe them, they are working.

Whether your sensibilities are offended or you find a hint of humour in a threatening, fearful subject by the use of a double entendre, you will appreciate the part they have played in the successful opening rounds of a Newcastle-led fight against needless prostate cancer deaths.

As a community we have lifted the veil of secrecy on prostate cancer.

One in every eight men over 50 will develop prostate cancer, and if you're a man over 40 with a family history your risk is far greater.

The incidence and mortality rate is almost identical to breast cancer.

Yet, prostate cancer has largely been ignored. This is changing and the groundswell must continue.

Epidemiologists may argue that too few men will benefit from screening for it to matter (they used to argue that about breast cancer in women), but what if you're one of that small yet growing number to whom it will mean life or death?

Each statistic representing the diagnosed, dying and dead also represents the life, death and quality of life of people just like us and affects the lives and relationships of partners, children, grandchildren and friends.

When figures are used, we should recognise human faces behind them and put ourselves in their shoes. Perhaps 2700 deaths a year is a small number, unless your number comes up.

In the Newcastle area, prostate death rates are up to 40 per cent higher than Sydney, and the diagnosis rate is about 20 per cent lower. This simply means that local men are not being diagnosed, are not having appropriate tests or are being advised against them.

The high death rate means that many men are being diagnosed as the result of symptoms that occur in advanced prostate cancer.

While issues surrounding testing and treatment of prostate cancer are still subject to debate, results of two European trials involving more than 250,000 men will be published shortly. I believe they will resolve any doubts and strongly support the strategic direction of our group. In fact, more than 200 reports have been released regarding those trials, which appear to have been ignored.

PSA [prostate specific antigen] tests will not diagnose cancer, however they will tell you if something is potentially wrong in your prostate and allow you to make a decision about further tests.

An older man with a small, low-grade cancer may be well advised to do nothing, whereas a younger man with an aggressive cancer will probably want to research his options and seek the best chance of a cure.

GPs are reporting overwhelming numbers of men attending for specific PSA testing, with a subsequent flow-on of men with no symptoms who are now aware they have varying degrees of prostate cancer. Most of these former statistics now have a realistic long-term survival prospect.

We must lobby hard to make this region the frontrunner in an important but neglected area of men's health.

Ron Bender is chairman of the Prostate Survival Alliance.

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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