New help for Lothian prostate cancer patients
Photo credit: Sandy Young Photography
Men in Lothian with prostate cancer have a new source of support as they navigate their diagnosis, treatment choices and the impact on their life.
Launching on 28 September, a joint initiative between Prostate Scotland and Maggie’s Edinburgh offers men with prostate cancer two new ways to get support, information and help. Men can speak to an experienced Maggie’s Cancer Support Specialist about any aspect of their diagnosis or living with prostate cancer. Appointments are available via video link or phone as well as in person (socially distanced). Men can also join a seven-week ‘Living Well With Prostate Cancer’ course – delivered via video link – when they are undergoing treatment or when treatment has finished to hear from experts about managing side effects and how to live well. The services are all free.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in Scotland, with a lifetime chance of one in ten developing the condition. Unusually, prostate patients can be offered a choice of treatment options, which can be a difficult decision for some men. This can include surgery radiotherapy, brachytherapy, hormone treatment and chemotherapy.
These new services are part of Prostate Scotland’s COMPASS (Comprehensive Prostate Support Service for Scotland) project which aims to help men across Scotland navigate prostate cancer and disease through a range of support and wellbeing services.
Andrew Anderson, Head of Maggie’s Edinburgh and a former oncology nurse, who will deliver the new service says: “Finding out you have prostate cancer or living with prostate cancer can change your life. Men with prostate conditions also face critical decisions about their treatment. The new support service creates space to discuss those options in a less formal environment with someone who has specialist knowledge. It is also a place to discuss symptoms and side effects, or simply the impact that it has had on your life.”
Anderson will be assisted by Lisa Egan, a former prostate cancer research nurse and psychotherapist Peter Kravitz.
Adam Gaines, Director of Prostate Scotland said: “We established COMPASS after surveying men with prostate cancer. We wanted to better understand their experiences and needs. Encouragingly most were satisfied with their medical care and treatment, but there was a clear need for more support for those living with the disease and their families. The new service with Maggie’s Edinburgh will ensure men across the Lothians have somewhere to turn to for help and support with prostate cancer when they need it most.”
Men can find out more at: prostatescotland.org.uk/help-and-support-for-you
To book an appointment with a Cancer Support Specialist or to join our next course phone 0131 537 3131 or email edinburgh@maggies.org
Notes for editors:
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer amongst men in Scotland, with a lifetime chance of one in ten men developing it[i]. There were over 37,009 new registrations of men with prostate cancer between 2008 and 2018 and 9,782 deaths of men in Scotland from prostate cancer during that period.[ii]. In 2018 in Scotland 4193 (Lothian 575 men) men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 923 men in Scotland died from it[iii]. Encouragingly survival rates amongst men with prostate cancer have doubled over the past two decades with 84% of men with prostate cancer now surviving it[iv]. Projections by the NHS show that the diagnosis of men with prostate cancer is likely to rise by up to 35% between now and 2027[v].
Prostate Scotland was set up in 2006 as a Scottish charity to develop awareness of prostate disease, to support men and their families/ partners with the disease through providing advice and information and to advance treatment and research into prostate disease. Its aim is to reach out across Scotland to create greater awareness amongst men and their families/partners about prostate disease and to advance treatment. It has established an award winning website prostatescotland.org.uk providing a wide range of information about prostate disease and treatments, as well as providing information and advice about prostate disease to men and their families across Scotland. In 2010 the charity won a national award for its impact on community health and in 2013 and 2015 was commended in the British Medical Association Patient Information Awards, and in 2017 was awarded Scottish Health Charity of the Year in the Charity Champions Awards. Prostate Scotland is a registered Scottish charity No.SC037494
Maggie’s Edinburgh has built up a highly regarded reputation for its support for anyone with cancer and their families, and a breathing space away from hospital. Maggie’s Centres exist to help people to take back control when cancer turns life upside down, with professional support for anything from treatment side effects to money worries. Maggie’s Edinburgh is based at the Stables the Western General Hospital Edinburgh. Designed by Edinburgh-based Richard Murphy Architects, the Stables was shortlisted for the 1997 RIBA Stirling Prize.
Maggie’s Registered Office is at : Maggie’s, The Gatehouse, 10 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow, G11 6PA
Registered Charity Number: SC024414. The Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Caring Centres Trust is a company limited by guarantee Company Number: SC162451