Helping men navigate prostate cancer treatment
Being told you have prostate cancer is a terrifying experience for many men – and it’s one Peter knows well. When he received his diagnosis, Peter was convinced he had just six months to live.
However, our team of experts including Professor Jeremy Millar and Associate Professor Jeremy Grummet are working to make the experience much less daunting, and equip men like Peter with more information to help them make decisions about their treatment.
This year, more than 17,000 Australian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. So The Alfred has teamed up with Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre as one of the trial sites for Navigate – an online decision aid resource for men diagnosed with low risk prostate cancer (and their partners).
Deciding which treatment option is best for managing low risk prostate can be very distressing and confusing for men. Many men are unaware of the different options they can pick to help manage their cancer. This trial will evaluate the practicality of the online Navigate Decision Aid, which was designed and developed with hands-on feedback and ideas from men who had experienced prostate cancer and treatment themselves.
Professor Millar said the online tool was a great additional support for men, combined with traditional advice from their doctor.
“Patients get information from a large range of sources. This online system, which they can access at their own pace, is a good way to help advise and inform guys.
Associate Professor Grummet said there are many treatment options available for men, some of them minimally-invasive.
“We want men to be fully informed so they can avoid unnecessary treatment for low-grade types of prostate cancer.”
To find out more about the Navigate trial or see whether you're eligible to join, visit the website.
