Aussie men unable to access innovative prostate cancer treatment

Aussie men denied access to innovative prostate cancer treatment

Prostate cancer is Australia’s most common men’s cancer. Every year, approximately 20,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer,¹ and more than 3,300 men lose their life to the disease.²

Early detection of prostate cancer widens the available treatment options, including:^2–6

Active surveillance (close monitoring by a doctor)
Surgery such as prostatectomy (removal of prostate gland and surrounding tissue)
Low dose-rate or high dose-rate brachytherapy (internal radiation inside the prostate only)
External beam radiation therapy (directed to the prostate from outside the body)
A combination of radiation therapies
Hormone therapy

Throughout the rest of the world, low dose-rate brachytherapy (LDR-brachytherapy) is being used in combination with external beam radiation therapy to treat locally advanced (higher risk) cancer that has begun to spread outside the prostate.^7–10

In Australia, both LDR-brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy are approved for use in prostate cancer.^11,12

However, this combination therapy is not available on Medicare for higher-risk prostate cancer. This means that only those men able to afford the treatment, can access it.

Every Australian man deserves the right to choose from all available prostate cancer treatment options approved by the TGA and implemented globally as a standard of care.

Senator Carol Brown recently raised this issue in the Australian Senate, calling for improved access to brachytherapy for Aussie men with prostate cancer.
Hear what she had to say:

You can help to back access to brachytherapy for Aussie men with prostate cancer.

Background

Learn more about how men with prostate cancer are unable to access treatment

Information hub

Check out the downloadable resources

Patient stories

Hear from Aussie men with prostate cancer

How to take action

Show your support for Aussie men prostate cancer

petition page

Sign the Backing Brachy Petition

References

1. Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Get Checked. [October 2021]; Available from: https://www.prostate.org.au/get-checked
2. Prostate Foundation Australia. Understanding your cancer journey. [June 2020]; Available from: https://www.prostate.org.au/awareness/further-detailed-information/understanding-prostate-cancer-treatments-and-side-effects/understanding-your-cancer-journey/
3. Cancer Australia. Prostate cancer: Treatment options. 2020 [October 2021]; Available from: https://www.canceraustralia.gov.au/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/treatment.
4. Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Understanding surgery for prostate cancer. 2020 [October 2021]; Available from: https://www.prostate.org.au/media/790751/pcf13458-02-understanding-surgery-booklet_7.pdf
5. Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Understanding hormone therapy for prostate cancer. 2020 [October 2021]; Available from: https://www.prostate.org.au/media/790754/pcf13461_-_04_-_understanding_hormone_therapy_34_pg_booklet_4.pdf
6. Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Understanding radiation therapy for prostate cancer. 2020 [October 2021]; Available from: https://www.prostate.org.au/media/790752/pcf13459_-_03_-_understanding_radiation_therapy_booklet_7.pdf
7. American Brachytherapy Society. Prostate Brachytherapy – LDR. [June 2021]; Available from: https://www.americanbrachytherapy.org/resources/for-professionals/current-applications-of-brachytherapy/prostate-brachytherapy-ldr/
8. National institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Prostate cancer: diagnosis and management. 2019 [June 2021]; Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng131/chapter/recommendations#high-risk-localised-prostate-cancer
9. European Association of Urology. Oncology Guidelines – Prostate Cancer. 2021 [June 2021]; Available from: https://uroweb.org/guideline/prostate-cancer/
10. Chin, J., et al., Brachytherapy for Patients With Prostate Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology/Cancer Care Ontario Joint Guideline Update. Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2017. 35: p. JCO2016720466
11. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Public Summary – Cartridge loaded I-Seed AgX100 I125 implants 2016 [June 2021]; Available from: https://www.ebs.tga.gov.au/servlet/xmlmillr6?dbid=ebs/PublicHTML/pdfStore.nsf&docid=5B7A4E1E1BC2E7CBCA257F65003CA4EE&agid=(PrintDetailsPublic)&actionid=1
12. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Public Summary – Linear Accelerator system. 2020 [June 2021]; Available from: https://www.ebs.tga.gov.au/servlet/xmlmillr6?dbid=ebs/PublicHTML/pdfStore.nsf&docid=95E1B65545996F81CA258632003CBCDC&agid=(PrintDetailsPublic)&actionid=1