Prostate Cancer

The team is working to better understand some of the known or suspected causes of prostate cancer. Using the NSW 45 and Up Study and working with the Cancer Institute NSW to better identify the severity of disease, the team is exploring issues around family history, urinary issues, diabetes and metabolic syndrome as risk factors for prostate cancer.

The team is developing a predictive modelling platform called Policy1-Prostate to evaluate the benefits and harms of prostate cancer testing and different patterns of care for prostate cancer patients. The team is also using the bi-national Prostate Cancer Outcomes Registry Australia and New Zealand (PCOR-ANZ) data to investigate the costs and benefits of treating men according to international guidelines.

In the last decade a number of advances in technology and clinical practice have changed the balance of benefits and harms of prostate cancer testing. The team at the Daffodil Centre is undertaking the systematic review of evidence to inform Australian national guidelines on our approach to early detection. Issues such as multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI), a special type of scan that creates detailed pictures of the prostate, the use of active surveillance for men who may not need immediate treatment and different approaches to prostate biopsy are all being considered in this review. The team is working with over 50 national experts to develop current locally tailored evidence based recommendations to optimize the way we approach early detection for prostate cancer.

This work is supported by a contract with the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

The differences in overall quality of life between men with prostate cancer and those without the disease will be determined to allow for better planning to help scope both decisions and policies for men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the future. The team has been focused on the long-term implications of prostate cancer on men and their partners through the Prostate Cancer Care and Outcomes Study and through the PCaN study.

The PCan Study has been supported by a grant from the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

Pros-D is a phase II clinical trial testing the benefits of a high dose vitamin D supplementation in preventing prostate cancer progression in men with localised prostate cancer who are on active surveillance.

This work is proudly supported by the Movember Clinical Trials Award ($1.06million).

Early detection of asymptomatic men with highest risk of advanced cancer will ultimately reduce future prostate cancer deaths. We are developing a user-friendly, Australian-based risk calculator that will leverage established predictors of advanced prostate cancer to predict personalised risk scores, aiding identification of high-risk individuals. This tool, coupled with existing decision aids, will help individuals and healthcare providers to contextualise screening decisions, in facilitating shared decision-making. Our objective is to empower individuals to understand their risk of advanced prostate cancer and make informed health decisions, inching us closer to saving lives and mitigating the prostate cancer impact in Australia – one informed choice at a time.

This work is proudly supported by the AJ Forsyth Family Foundation ($600,000).