The largest study of its kind in the UK, researchers will analyse the experiences of more than 100,000 men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer between one and three years ago. They aim to identify how a diagnosis of prostate cancer impacts a man’s daily life, and work out which factors lead to poorer outcomes for some. By highlighting any gaps in support and care services, the results will help shape changes to improve prostate cancer care in the future.
“I am excited to be involved in this project which promises to shine a spotlight on what men are really experiencing throughout their journey with prostate cancer, and how they feel about it."
The data gathered will track not only clinical outcomes but also, crucially, investigate the qualitative aspects of men’s lives. It will also look to see if men of different ages, locations, ethnicities and socio-economic groups have different experiences.
Paul Villanti, Director of Programmes at the Movember Foundation: “Right now we simply do not know enough about how prostate cancer is impacting on the lives of men following their diagnosis and treatment. We urgently need to know more if we are to ensure every man returns to feeling just as well as they did before their prostate cancer diagnosis and for the first time this unique initiative should enable us to discover the answers we need. It is thanks to the thousands of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas who raise funds every year that we are able to launch the project in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK today, and start the road to bringing about real change for the future.”
Dr Anna Gavin, Queen’s University Belfast: “I am excited to be involved in this project which promises to shine a spotlight on what men are really experiencing throughout their journey with prostate cancer, and how they feel about it (could highlight this / pull it out?) Every man invited to take part in this study will have valuable information that they can share, whatever their experience, background or stage of treatment. Maybe even after the cancer is gone, some men have problems dealing with the side effects of treatment and don’t know who to talk to, or are embarrassed about doing so – they may not even know if they’re the only person feeling this way. By responding to this research they will be helping bring those issues into the open so that they can be effectively addressed for years to come.”
The ‘Life after prostate cancer diagnosis’ project will build on a pilot study led by the English Department of Health in 2012, which showed significant variation in how men were affected by prostate cancer, the level of impact of the disease on their lives and how they coped with it. It will take the form of a confidential postal survey sent to men across all four UK nations. Questions will cover topics such as wellbeing and attitude towards their illness, impact of the cancer and its side effects on every day life, reflections on choice of treatment and impact of other long-term conditions. The project itself is also part of a much wider global Movember initiative, with similar studies planned so far in Ireland and Australia. All the information will eventually be pooled to enable the teams to learn from men’s experiences across different countries.
"We urgently need to know more if we are to ensure every man returns to feeling just as well as they did before their prostate cancer diagnosis."
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