Health - Prostate Cancer Awareness Week

19th March 2008

Local MP Launches Campaign Against Prostate Cancer Inequalities.

Rob Wilson, Member of Parliament for Reading East, has joined with experts to launch a campaign to end inequalities in prostate cancer and mark Prostate Cancer Awareness Week.

(10 - 16th March) www.realmendo.org.uk/

Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in men. It is also a major killer, directly resulting in around 10,000 deaths a year. The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action – a campaigning coalition of charities and health professionals committed to tackling the disease – has launched the Countdown to Equality, which sets out the steps that need to be taken to eliminate the inequalities that continue to affect men with prostate cancer.

The Charter’s calls are focused on four key areas:

1. Significantly reducing the number of men being diagnosed with prostate cancer that has already spread

2. Improving the cancer experience of men with prostate cancer to at least the level reported for other common cancers

3. Levelling up clinical outcomes across the country so that all NHS services match the current best

4. Planning effectively to deliver world class prostate cancer services in the future

Commenting on the launch, Rob said:

“Raising awareness of prostate cancer is crucial if we are to effectively tackle the disease and I am delighted to be able to participate in Prostate Cancer Awareness Week. I am also committed to playing my part in tackling the inequalities which continue to scar prostate cancer care. Every man should have equal access to high quality treatment and care and I am determined to play my part in making this happen. That is why over the coming months I will be campaigning to ensure that the Government fully and rapidly implements the Charter’s new calls.”

For further information, contact: Rob Wilson MP on 07973 834035.

NOTES TO EDITORS (Left in as make interesting reading)

1. The Countdown to Equality was launched on 11 March in the Houses of Parliament. The costs of the launch were kindly supported by Oncura, sanofi-aventis and the signatories themselves. The signatories alone retain control of all policy and editorial decisions relating to the Charter.

2. The full Countdown to Equality can be read at: www.prostatecharter.org.uk/

3. Inequalities which continue to affect prostate cancer include:

• Whilst the death rates for many forms of cancer are falling, deaths from prostate cancer have remained relatively stable at approximately 10,000 per year

• Men of African descent are three times as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer

• Nearly 4 in 10 men are diagnosed with cancer which has already spread by the point of diagnosis, reducing their treatment options

• The advice given to men by GPs is variable – only 58% of GPs are aware of the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme

• Men with prostate cancer report a significantly worse experience of their care than patients with other common cancers
•
There is over a threefold variation amongst cancer networks in the provision of Clinical Nurse Specialists and Urological Clinical Nurse Specialists have on average double the caseload of breast nurses

• Not all prostate cancer services are compliant with national standards – some cancer networks have missed the deadline for fully implementing the Improving Outcomes Guidance

• Some multi disciplinary teams are not fully functional, with key members of the team absent from discussions

• The submission of clinical outcomes data to the BAUS Registry remains incomplete, meaning that not all services are being transparent about their clinical outcomes

• Significant variations remain in the funding that PCTs allocate to cancer which cannot be explained by variations in incidence or prevalence alone

4. For more information on the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action, please contact Mike Birtwistle on 07977 907 555 or Bill Morgan on 07960 154 355.