The Prostate Cancer Foundation: Patient Education Forum

The Prostate Cancer Foundation: Patient Education Forum at Grace Education Centre, November 17, 2015

Grace Hospital management is glad to support the work of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand in hosting the Patient Education Forum on 17 November, 2015.

“We welcome the Foundation’s Patient Forum as an excellent opportunity for men with advanced or metastatic disease and their families to learn more about the latest research and information on prostate cancer,” Janet Keys, General Manager of Grace Hospital, said: “Grace Hospital treats 200 men for diagnostic and interventional treatments each year, and the Foundation’s mission to support patients and families by providing clear, accurate information is also integral to our care for patients at Grace Hospital.”

Prostate cancer affects about 3000 New Zealand men and their families every year; in response, specialist medical teams and research teams are focused on finding more effective means of treating this high-risk disease.

Janet Keys went on to say: “It can be hard for patients to find accurate information about the most recent advances in treatment, and even more difficult to know which of the various treatment options will be the best for you. We created the Grace Prostate Cancer Centre website to assist men with prostate cancer in assessing their options (click to visit ) but the Patient Forum has the advantage of enabling you to ask questions of highly skilled experts who can clarify any confusion for you.”

Dr Liam Wilson is a Urologist at Grace Hospital, who also works at Bay Urology with Andre Westenberg and Jim Duthie. Liam will be talking about the management of advanced prostate cancer; this is prostate cancer that cannot be cured by surgery or radiotherapy. Liam commented: “While this may sound like a miserable topic, prostate cancer is commonly slow growing over many years, and many men will not have any symptoms of cancer for some time. The management of advanced prostate cancer will often entail a period of careful observation to start with, followed by general or specific treatments as required.”

“I’ll begin by explaining what advanced prostate cancer is, and then talk about when it is best to start treatment, and tell you what happens during the initial treatment. Then I’ll be discussing new research into the options for treatment, and when referral to other specialties is recommended.”

Liam also intends to discuss the effects of lifestyle, diet and exercise on prostate cancer.
He added: “This is a large topic, and I’m expecting many questions to arise from my talk; I’ll be happy to answer these during the talk or afterwards.”

Dr Leanne Tyrie, Radiation Oncologist, will be presenting information about the most effective treatments available. You will be able to find out more about current approaches to treatment in her field, and to ask her about your particular concerns. Dr Leanne Tyrie has a particular interest in quality of life issues regarding the treatment of prostate cancer.
Professor Ross Lawrenson is carrying out medical research on prostate cancer, so he’ll be able to tell you about the most recent insights discovered by medical research regarding the condition, and will be able to answer any questions you and your families may have.

As well as the medical experts, Allan Bennett, a prostate cancer patient, will also be speaking at the forum, and will be available for discussion after his talk.

The Foundation intends the forum to give you the opportunity to talk to other patients and families in a similar situation, as well as gaining a better understanding of the advances made by international medical experts in managing prostate cancer.

The Patient Forum held by The Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand will be an informal occasion at the Grace Education Centre on November 17.

For further information on prostate cancer visit:
Prostate Cancer Foundation - www.prostate.org.nz
Grace Prostate Cancer Centre – www.graceprostatecancercentre.co.nz