Prostate News - Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia

39
ISSUE
Prostate
News
September 2009
Better health at hand?
Some interesting research projects explore how existing knowledge
can translate into helpful new treatments for prostate cancer sufferers.
PCFA supports more direct prostate cancer research
than any other organisation in Australia. Last November
we announced funding for more that $4 million worth
of research projects into reducing the impact of prostate
cancer on men and their families around the country.
This support is only possible thanks to the extraordinary
generosity of donors – especially everyone who has
participated in Movember. Some of this research involves
trailblazing work with gene therapy and immunotherapy
or the development of new and potentially exciting drugs.
Other research projects look at some tools we already
have at hand to better our odds in the fight against
prostate cancer and improve the quality of men’s health.
Three of these projects are detailed here.
Can cholesterol drugs stop the spread of
prostate cancer?
Dr Michelle Hill
BSc/BA ’94, BSc Hons ’95, PhD ’00 Queensland
Even when prostate cancers have been removed, there is
always a chance the cancer might come back. Recently, it’s
been shown that a family of drugs called statins, originally
used to reduce cholesterol, can also reduce the chance of
prostate cancers returning.
Scientists know that recurrent prostate cancers (cancers that
come back) have high levels of a protein called Caveolin-1.
Statins can switch this protein off, or alter what it does. This
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
FROM THE CEO
This issue of Prostate News farewells
two of PCFA’s most dedicated
supporters – our most generous
individual benefactor Richard Pratt and
our tireless campaigner, and my great
friend, Trevor Hunt. Both men lived
wonderful, though vastly different lives.
In the end however both lives were
cut short due to prostate cancer. I was
honoured to know each of these great
men – and both will be sadly missed.
This September, barbecues around Australia will fire up to
help fund vital Australian research into prostate cancer – the
most common cancer diagnosed in Australia.
PCFA has a long history of funding world-class Australian
researchers working in the fight against prostate cancer and
in recent years we have been able to greatly increase this
funding thanks to growing community and corporate support.
September is International Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
and as part of our new The Difference Is You! community
service campaign, PCFA is encouraging all Australians to host
a barbecue for prostate cancer. By hosting a barbecue at your
home, work, community or sporting group and asking guests
to give a donation, you’ll make a significant impact in the fight
against this disease.
We still have a long way to go in the fight against prostate
cancer – but PCFA is delighted to be leading the battle
through its national research grant program.
A barbecue is also a great opportunity to raise awareness
and a clear aim of this new campaign is to remind all men
how vital they are to their family and friends and how their
passing would impact their loved ones. The good news is that
increasingly men are taking responsibility for their health and
are starting to talk to their doctor regularly about prostate
cancer and other male health issues.
Help us mark International Prostate Cancer Awareness
Month and please encourage all your family, friends and
work mates to have a barbecue to raise funds for prostate
cancer research. For more information see page 6 and visit
www.prostate.org.au
National
Board
Chairman – Graeme Johnson
Deputy Chairman – David Sandoe OAM
Finance Director – Chris Hall
Research Chairman – Professor John Mills
Medical Specialists – Associate Professor Phil Stricker,
Professor Tony Costello
Support and Advocacy Committee Chairman –
Peter Gebert
Rotary – John Palmer
State Chairmen – Tony Sonneveld (NSW),
David Curtain, QC (VIC), Jim Freemantle (WA),
Jim Hughes (QLD)
Independent Directors – Professor Dexter Dunphy AM,
Anita Ziemer, Patricia Watson, Jim O’Ryan, Steve Callister
Tony Sonneveld - National Board Member
Consumer advocate and Men’s
Health Ambassador, PCFA’s new
NSW Chairman, Tony Sonneveld,
joined the NSW board in 2007.
He has been actively promoting
prostate cancer awareness,
education and fundraising for
support and research since his
prostate cancer diagnosis in 2003.
Following his graduation from RMIT
as a metallurgist in 1970, he completed his National Service
as a Lieutenant in the Australian Army. For 22 years he
managed Metlabs, specialising in Non-Destructive Testing of
pipelines, power stations, refineries and offshore structures
in Australasia. In 1990 he joined Transfield Electrical,
managing operations around Australia and Southeast Asia.
Tony has held directorships in many construction-related
businesses and since 1995 he has successfully managed a
family-owned business, Termimesh Sydney. He has also
participated in many voluntary organisations and brings
highly developed management and communication skills to
his role with PCFA.
‘I now have advanced prostate cancer with a prognosis of
three to five years, however, I still have incredible energy.
Given that my father and father-in-law died of prostate
cancer, my sons and grandson will have a very high
predisposition to contracting this insidious disease,’ he said.
‘Therefore I want to create a greater awareness about
prostate cancer in the hope that this will increase donations
to PCFA, which in turn will convert to more funding
for research into mechanisms to combat, control and
ultimately, cure, prostate cancer.
Andrew Giles
Chief Executive
PCFA
2 PROSTATE
PROSTATENEWS
NEWS
‘Newly diagnosed prostate cancer sufferers seem
comfortable talking with me about their condition and fears
and I gain much satisfaction in being able to support them
and from being able to dedicate some of my skills and
attributes to the PCFA cause.’
CONTINUED FROM COVER
research will study the global changes that occur in a prostate
cancer cell when Caveolin-1 function is changed, such as under
statin treatment. It’s hoped that the research may lead to new
ways of looking for cancers that are likely to return and drugs
that will stop or slow cancer recurrence.
Dr Hill is an NHMRC Fellow at the Diamantina Institute for
Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine at the University
of Queensland. In recognition of her research excellence, Dr
Hill was awarded the prestigious National Associations of
Research Fellows of NHMRC Postdoctoral Investigator Award
in 2004.
Vitamin D deficiency
Professor Markus Seibel
MD ’84 Mainz, PhD ’97 Heidelberg
Like police looking for clues at a crime scene, scientists have
noticed that a deficiency in vitamin D, a common feature in
older men, often accompanies prostate cancer. And they have
also found that when cancer spreads from the prostate to
other parts of the body, in nine out of ten cases, it spreads to
the bones.
It might be a coincidence, but given the important part vitamin
D plays in keeping our immune system up to scratch (which
would normally work to stop the growth of cancer in the
first place) and maintaining healthy and strong bones, the lack
of vitamin D could be a silent accomplice in patients with
prostate cancer that has spread to the bone.
The mineral calcium keeps our bones strong. All up we have
about a kilogram of calcium locked into our bones. Most of
it comes from the food (like milk) we eat, which is absorbed
by the intestine and this absorption is facilitated by vitamin D.
We know that weakened and brittle bones (osteoporosis) can
lead to fractures, but research on animals with breast cancer
has also shown that cancer spreads more quickly to the bones
when they are fed on a calcium-deficient diet. Now scientists
plan to see what role vitamin D deficiency plays in the spread
of prostate cancer. It might be that a correction in vitamin D
levels might help to slow down, or even prevent, the spread of
prostate cancer.
Professor Seibel holds the Chair of Endocrinology at the
University of Sydney and is Director of the Bone Research
Program at the University of Sydney’s ANZAC Research
Institute. His work on the significance of bone turnover on
the growth of breast cancer metastases gained international
scientific and media attention.
Complementary and lifestyle therapies
Associate Professor Dianne O’Connell
BMaths ’80, PhD ’84 Newcastle
There are many kinds of complementary and lifestyle therapies
available for men with prostate cancer. These include mind,
body and spirit methods (eg aromatherapy, Tai chi); manual
healing and physical touch (eg acupuncture, massage, exercise);
herbs (eg saw palmetto); diet and nutrition (eg supplements,
vitamins and minerals, special diets) and pharmacological and
biological treatment (eg homeopathy, shark cartilage, Laetrile).
Researchers are looking for a better understanding of which
complementary and lifestyle therapies men with prostate
cancer use so that they can produce better information and
education materials for these men and those who care for
them, including health professionals.
This two-and-a-half year study will look at the use of these
therapies in a group of 500 Australian men with prostate
cancer, how they got their information about the therapies
and how useful it was. Then they will identify which men with
prostate cancer are more likely to use these therapies.
Associate Professor O’Connell has been a Senior
Epidemiologist at the Cancer Research Division, Cancer
Council NSW since 2001. She is also a Conjoint Associate
Professor, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University
of Newcastle.
Reflexology is a complementary therapy
that massages points on the feet and hands
PROSTATE NEWS 3
Richard Pratt
Richard Pratt’s grandchildren with the Richard Pratt Cup.
Vale Richard Pratt
Richard Pratt, who with his wife Jeanne established The Pratt
Foundation in 1978, died of cancer on April 28, 2009. He was 74.
The Pratt success story began in Poland on 12 December 1934. In
1939, as a four-year-old refugee, Richard Pratt arrived in Australia
on the eve of World War II. After succeeding his father in 1969
as the head of Visy Board, a small box-making factory in suburban
Melbourne, he led the company’s expansion over the next 40
years to more than 120 packaging and waste recycling plants
employing 9,000 people across Australia, the USA, New Zealand,
and Southeast Asia
Apart from business, Richard’s interests ranged across many
organisations in Australia, Israel and the USA, both as a generous
philanthropist and as an active chairman. The founding Chancellor
in 1992 of the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne,
he held honorary doctorates from three universities in Australia
and two in Israel.
Through The Pratt Foundation, he and the Pratt family were
among Australia’s major sources of private philanthropy for four
decades. In 1999 he extended The Pratt Foundation’s activities
to Israel and in 2000 received the inaugural Israel Prime Minister’s
Award for Philanthropy.
benefactor that the late Mr Pratt. While his financial support was
extraordinary, he is also to be remembered for his outstanding
commitment to raising awareness of the need for men to be aware
of prostate cancer and to ensure that it is identified at an early stage
when the cancer is both treatable and curable. PCFA has lost a great
friend – but his legacy will live on through the world class research
that the Pratt Foundation funds through PCFA.’
Richard Pratt Cup
On 17 July Carlton and Collingwood Football Clubs joined forces
to pay tribute to former Carlton President Richard Pratt by playing
for the inaugural Richard Pratt Cup at the MCG.
Richard Pratt’s involvement with the Carlton Football Club
spanned nearly 60 years as a player, sponsor, director, president
and patron. Carlton President, Stephen Kernahan said the Richard
Pratt Cup was an important legacy for a great Carlton man who
did so much for the community.
Collingwood President Eddie McGuire said that the establishment
of the Richard Pratt Cup not only pays tribute to a great man of
football and the community, it also presents an ideal opportunity
to raise awareness of issues relating to prostate cancer.
In 2008, along with Israel’s President Shimon Peres and then
Australian Governor General, Major General Michael Jeffery,
Richard opened The Park of the Australian Soldier in Beersheba,
Israel which commemorates the historic charge of the Australian
Light Horse Brigade which won Beersheba from the Turks in 1917.
PCFA Chairman, Graeme Johnson said the establishment of the
Richard Pratt Cup was an important initiative that will boost the
community awareness of prostate cancer and he congratulated
both clubs on their role.
Andrew Giles, PCFA CEO, said, ‘PCFA has had no greater single
The inaugural Richard Pratt Cup was won by Collingwood.
4 PROSTATE NEWS
National Men’s Health Ambassador Speakers
The National Men’s Health Ambassador Speaker
Program sponsored by the Australian Government
Department of Health and Ageing is generating a
strong profile across the country. Between October
2008 and the end of June 2009, 92 Men’s Health
Ambassadors spoke to 11,212 audience members
on prostate health and continence health and the
program is well on the way to surpass its target of
reaching 19,200 people by June 2010.
PCFA formed a community partnership with
Mensheds Australia at the National Mensheds
Conference in Bathurst, NSW, during International
Men’s Health Week in June. This partnership will
take important messages on prostate health and
continence health to Australian men through
Mensheds who will be able to invite Men’s Health
Ambassadors to speak to communities, particularly
in rural and remote Australia, and including
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
National Rural Health Conference Cairns May 2009. Left to right: John Whop, Waibe
Menshed, Torres Strait Islands; Richard Tamwoy, Menshed Bamaga NPA Queensland;
Jo Fairbairn, Community Partnerships and Health Promotion Manager.
Invite a National Men’s Health Ambassador Speaker
to present on Prostate Health and Continence Health to your:
•
•
•
•
Community Group
Organisation
Corporation
Local Council
•
•
•
•
Sports Club
University
Industry
Men’s Health Event
Our target is to TALK ABOUT Men’s Health with 50,000 people nationally
YOU can help!
Please contact 1800 206 700
ambassador@prostate.org.au
www.prostate.org.au
PROSTATENEWS 5
The Differe
PCFA – turning Australia blue
From 1 September these iconic Australian landmarks will be lit
blue to raise awareness of prostate cancer.
September BBQs for
As part of PCFA’s The Difference Is You!
campaign Australians are being encouraged
to host a barbecue for prostate cancer
during September.
By hosting a barbecue and asking guests to make a donation, we can
all make a significant impact in the fight against this insidious disease.
A barbecue is also an ideal opportunity to raise awareness about
prostate cancer.
September
Landmark
1
Sydney Opera House, NSW
1
Bell Tower, Kings Park entrance, WA
1
Skyneedle, Gold Coast Arts Centre, Torres Shire Council
Chambers, Toowoomba Shire City Hall, QLD.
2
Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
7
Adelaide North Terrace and St Francis Xavier Church, SA
30
Melbourne Arts Centre Spire, VIC
Throughout September prostate cancer awareness and
fundraising events will be held around the country:
September
4
4
Event
Blue Ribbon Day, Riverina Cancer Care Centre, Wagga
Wagga, NSW
Run Man Run - Matt and Stewy Grills run from Bundaberg to
Brisbane arriving 13 Sept. The return run is from 15 Sept, QLD
6
Christian Motorcyclists fundraising ride, Wodonga, NSW
9
Day of Inspiration – Tour de Cure, Sydney, NSW
10
Bayview Golf Club Charity Golf Club Day, Mona Vale, NSW
12
Strathfield Golf Club 'Battle of the Sexes – Tee off for Cancer',
Strathfield, NSW
18
Blue Laces for September – $6 a pair at IGA stores, WA.
19
Inverell Bowls Fundraiser, Inverell, NSW
20
Sydney Running Festival, PCFA NSW
20
22
Blue Ribbon Ride - Christian Motorcyclists, from Logan
Hyperdome to Redland Bay Hotel
Table4Ten – 500+ guests at 50 simultaneous dinner parties in
Sydney’s top restaurants, NSW
25
Corporate Rugby 10’s PCFA fundraiser – Ballymore, QLD
28
138th Young Annual Show with Sunrise morning show, NSW
September is International Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. In
Australia, September also means Father’s Day, football finals and end
of season sports club gatherings. By hosting a barbecue and asking
for donations at these events, you can help PCFA continue to fund
Australian research into prostate cancer.
* AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) & AACR (Australasian Association of Cancer Registries) 2008.
ence is You!
r Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer might be a male-only disease, but its effect is
far reaching. Wives and partners, brothers and sisters, sons and
daughters, grandchildren and friends – all are impacted by a
diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Recent statistics indicate that far too many Australians will feel the
impact of prostate cancer. According to the Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare, it is estimated in 2010 alone that:
• almost 20,000 Australian men
will be diagnosed with prostate
cancer; and
• more than 3,300 Australian
men will lose their life to this
disease.*
To host a BBQ for Prostate Cancer go to
www.prostate.org.au
Cancer in Australia: an overview, 2008. Cancer series no 46. Cat no CAN 42 Canberra: AIHW.
The Commonwealth Bank has been privileged to partner with
PCFA since 2002 to help promote awareness of prostate
cancer and to raise funds to support vital research.
In 2009 the Commonwealth Bank continues to provide
essential fundraising support to PCFA and is the major
sponsor of The Difference is You! campaign in September. The
Commonwealth Bank is also supporting the campaign by
engaging their staff and customers through a variety of public
relations and marketing activities.
Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth Bank, Ralph
Norris, said, ‘We are committed to helping PCFA with research,
advocacy and awareness relating to a disease that affects
thousands of Australian men.’
This long-standing partnership began in 2002 when the
Commonwealth Bank supported PCFA to establish Australia’s
first nationwide network of prostate tissue banks which
provide an essential resource to all Australian prostate cancer
researchers.
From 2006–08 the Commonwealth Bank partnered with PCFA
to deliver a series of Men’s Health Forums throughout Australia
to encourage men and their families to be proactive about their
health and to educate them about prostate cancer and other
important health issues, such as heart disease and depression.
Since 2006 the ‘Hitting Cancer for Six’ campaign has
seen the Bank donate $1,000 for every ‘six’ hit during the
Commonwealth Bank One Day Cricket Series, raising $160,000
for PCFA and the Breast Cancer Institute of Australia.
Commonwealth Bank employees also actively participate in
the annual Movember campaign for men’s health – including
prostate cancer – raising more than $444,000 for this campaign
since 2006.
PCFA September supporters include
MURRAYS
COACHES • BUSES • LIMOUSINES
NSW
Pirtek Fishing
Challenge nets
$100,000
Intimacy
& closeness
In the March Prostate News we promoted a new research
project by the School of Psychology at the University of
Western Sydney in collaboration with PCFA, the Cancer
Council of NSW, the National Breast Cancer Foundation,
Sydney West Cancer Network Psycho-Oncology Service
and Westmead Hospital. The aim of the research is to
make the experience of cancer more manageable by
helping couples reclaim closeness and intimacy in their
relationships. There was a great response from the readers
of Prostate News and the researchers are now also looking
to hear from the intimate partners of people with cancer.
Professor Jane Ussher says the diagnosis and treatment of
cancer can often result in the complete cessation of sex
and intimate physical contact. ‘Sexuality and intimacy is
central to psychological well-being and quality of life. For
many couples, this alteration in their physical relationship
is the most significant and damaging aspect of the entire
cancer experience,’ she said.
The inaugural Pirtek Fishing Challenge over the Easter Weekend
was an outstanding success and at a lunch held by PCFA to thank
their key sponsors and supporters, Stephen Dutton, General
Manager of Pirtek Fluid Systems, presented PCFA with a cheque
for $100,000.
The lunch was hosted by NSW Board Chairman Tony Sonneveld
with guest speaker Alan Jones AO and attended by many long
standing PCFA supporters, as well as PCFA CEO, Andrew Giles
and National Chairman, Graeme Johnson.
On presenting the cheque, Stephen Dutton commented, ‘We
are thrilled to be making such a significant contribution to PCFA.
The aim of the Pirtek Fishing Challenge was to raise awareness
and funds in the fight against prostate cancer. Everyone within our
company has embraced the campaign, contributing to its success,
and we look forward to an even bigger competition in 2010.’
The $100,000 will be utilised to fund research and awareness
programs in the fight against prostate cancer.
The 2010 Pirtek Fishing Challenge
Sunday, 11 April 2010
For details visit www.pirtekfishingchallenge.com.au
In their previous study, the researchers found that while
sexuality and intimacy is important after diagnosis and
during treatment, 59% of female partners and 79% of male
partners reported the cessation or decreased frequency of
sex at this time.
‘Partners may also repress their own sexual needs for
the assumed benefit of the person with cancer and, by
re-positioning the person as a patient, may find it difficult
to continue to see their partner as a sexual person,’ said
Professor Ussher.
The project team are looking for intimate partners of
a person with cancer, as well as people with cancer,
to take part in the study. This will involve completing a
questionnaire, and if you are interested, taking part in a
supportive intervention.
To take part, contact the project co-ordinator
Caroline Joyce on cancerandsexuality@uws.edu.au
or free call 1800 19 20 02.
8 PROSTATE NEWS
Landing the big one. Left to right: Stephen Dutton, General Manager,
Pirtek Fluid Systems, Andrew Giles, CEO PCFA, Alan Jones, Graeme
Johnson, National Chairman PCFA and Glenn Duncan, Managing
Director, Pirtek Fluid Systems.
QLD
Rumble 2 the Top 2009
The stereotype of a Harley Davidson biker is often one of a
beefy, bearded bloke with lots of tattoos. However the reality is
sometimes a little different.
Based in southeast Queensland, Sandie Janssen is a hard-working,
successful businesswoman owning and managing a multi-site
franchise of Queensland’s popular The Coffee Club. She’s equally
at home in the boardroom or working in one of her cafes.
And she’s a Harley Davidson riding biker, raising funds for, and
awareness of, prostate cancer.
Sandie is one half of the driving force behind The Rumble Riders
who depart Rockhampton each year for a different Australian
destination, raising funds and awareness about men’s health as
they go. This year it was Darwin, with the Rumble 2 the Top.
The year before it was Rumble 2 the Rock at Uluru.
Initially designed as a motorcycle-based fundraising event, Rumble
2 the Top was expanded in 2009 to extensively promote grass
roots-level awareness of prostate cancer and the role of PCFA in
reducing its impact on Australian families.
‘During the ten-day ride there were no less than 25 awareness
events,’ said PCFA Queensland manager Graeme Higgs. ‘PCFA
Ambassador Ross Gommersall, Dr Sandy Moore and her
assistant (always in character as “Nurse Nasty”) and PCFA
champion, Bundy the Wonder Dog, with handlers Tex and Jen,
put on quite a show delivering the message on yearly check-ups.’
Businessman Mick Schinkel from Rockhampton is the other half
of the dynamic duo organising the Rumble Riders.
‘Mike and his wife assigned Rumble Riders to canvas the CBD
of every settlement the ride passed through, both to solicit
donations and to promote awareness. Without their quiet
persistence we would not have such a fabulous result – $48,000.’
Professor Colleen Nelson and Queensland
Premier Anna Bligh at the Smart Futures Awards.
$1.25 million
Smart Futures
Premier’s Fellowship
New treatments for advanced prostate cancer are a step closer
to reality with a $1.25 million grant over five years awarded to
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) prostate cancer
researcher Professor Colleen Nelson.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said Professor Nelson’s work
at QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation had the
potential to save thousands of lives each year. ‘Professor Nelson
is regarded as a world leader in prostate cancer research and
her work is helping us to treat and better understand the most
common cancer contracted by Australian males,’ said Anna Bligh.
‘One in nine men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime,
and almost 3000 men die of prostate cancer every year.
Professor Nelson’s groundbreaking work is attempting to
pinpoint more effective treatments for advanced prostate cancer
and is exploring the disturbing links between diabetes and
obesity in males and prostate cancer.’
A fantastic Rumble result. PCFA Queensland Manager,
Graeme Higgs with Tony Janssen and Sandie Janssen.
Professor Nelson is Director of the Australian-Canadian Prostate
Cancer Research Alliance, which has previously received $2
million in funding from the Queensland Government and is
supported by PCFA and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of
Canada. She is also a Director of the new Australian Prostate
Cancer Research Centre – Queensland, which will be established
with Australian Government funding, initially at Brisbane’s
Princess Alexandra Hospital prior to the opening of the new
$300 million Translational Research Institute in 2012.
PROSTATE NEWS 9
WA
Pedal for Prostate!
Now is the time to pull on the bike shorts and get ready for the
challenge of a lifetime! PCFA State Manager WA, Debra Royle,
will be joining a group of people on a cycling trip to Cambodia
and Vietnam in May 2010. Apart from increased fitness in the
lead up to the trip there are two other challenges; riding on
average 45km per day (although there are some non-cycling
days) and raising $6500 to join in the fun.
For those who want to help raise awareness of prostate cancer,
as well as funds for research and support projects, this is a great
way to do both at the same time. It is even an ideal father and
son trip; 2 weeks away cycling together for a common cause.
Register now to ensure enough time to reach the fundraising
target and to secure your space on this fabulous trip. For
further details please contact event organiser Inspired
Adventures where Tristanne (tristanne@inspiredadventures.
com.au or 02 9262 9880) will answer your queries, explain the
process and assist you to tailor your fundraising strategy.
Localised
Prostate Cancer
Short Course
trial
In early 2008 PCFA surveyed men with prostate cancer and
their partners about their information needs. As a result,
between September 2008 and June 2009, a Localised Prostate
Cancer Short Course was trialled by PCFA with the support of
the Cancer Council WA at their rural patient hostel Crawford
Lodge in Nedlands, Perth.
Consisting of four two-hour sessions over five nights, the
free course aimed to provide information to assist with
decisions about treatment for localised prostate cancer and life
afterwards, including topics such as continence, sexuality, diet
and exercise and dealing with cancer.
The trial course was delivered by nine health professionals to
an audience of 62 men and 40 women and feedback was very
encouraging.
“ Very enlightening, we enjoyed the face to face
interaction. Because the internet provides too much
information, we had trouble finding the information we
needed. We felt as if a weight had been lifted off our
shoulders when we went to the course.”
The course evaluation will now be reviewed by PCFA’s
Awareness and Education committee to determine if it is
replicable and viable in other states and rural areas.
VIC
Finding the best
treatments
They visited treatment centres in Los Angeles, Washington DC
and New York where they were pleased to find that Australian
levels of care compared well with the US centres where
education and support were key elements of patient care.
In June 2009 Emma Birch, urology nurse, and Dr Addie
Wootten, psychologist, from the Royal Melbourne Hospital
undertook a travelling fellowship sponsored by the Department
of Human Services, Victorian Quality Council to the USA to look
at best practice in multidisciplinary prostate cancer care.
Emma and Addie will now pilot a structured, multidisciplinary
model of care that focuses on patient education and support at
all phases of the prostate cancer experience and aims to improve
outcomes, both physically and emotionally, for prostate cancer
patients at Royal Melbourne Hospital.
10 PROSTATE NEWS
Vale Trevor Hunt
by Jeff Roberts
A determined promoter
of prostate cancer
awareness and a great
friend to all in the
nation’s prostate cancer
fraternity.
Trevor Hunt
It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of a great
South Australian, Trevor Hunt. He was an outstanding contributor
to, and advocate of, prostate cancer support groups; a determined
promoter of prostate cancer awareness and a great friend to all in
the nation’s prostate cancer fraternity.
Born in Aldinga, South Australia, in 1933, Trevor grew up at
McLaren Vale. Following study on a scholarship at Kings College in
Adelaide, he initially worked on his family’s vineyard before joining
the Savings Bank of SA at McLaren Vale in 1951. He remained a
bank officer throughout his working life – at Bordertown, Kadina,
Adelaide (where he married Coralie Bond in 1958) and Whyalla,
where the couple lived for nine years and raised their three
children. He was a bank manager at Eudunda in 1968, McLaren
Vale, Mt Barker from 1978 and Clovelly Park from 1987.
Trevor began his community involvement with Whyalla Jaycees
(as president, and editor of an award-winning magazine), Mt
Barker Lions, various school councils, football and bowling club
committees and the National Trust and Friendship Force.
When Trevor retired after 40 years service with the bank, he
served as president and secretary of the Noarlunga/Morphett Vale
Lions Club and was awarded the Lions Melvin Jones Award and
James D Richardson Certificate.
In January 1999 Trevor was diagnosed with prostate cancer and
the following month he and Coralie attended their first support
group meeting in Adelaide. By early 2000, Trevor and Coralie
had joined the Prostate Cancer Action Group, which led to
speaking engagements and advocacy work. In 2001 the Group was
incorporated with Trevor as inaugural chairman. Together with Jeff
Roberts and Ray Power, Trevor formed a small committee to plan
new directions for the group and this led to the public awareness
presentations which are still continuing very successfully today. He
also produced a widely acclaimed newsletter.
In 2001 Trevor became the initial SA representative on the PCFA
Support and Advocacy Committee and his commitment to PCFA
was recognised when he was honoured, in his absence, with
the prestigious Max Gardner Award in 2008. Trevor was also a
volunteer with the Cancer Council SA for some nine years before
resigning in 2008.
He was involved in many prostate cancer committees, most
recently as a consumer representative in the preparation of the
upcoming Consumer Guidelines for Advanced Prostate Cancer,
available later this year. In May a support group delegation visited
Trevor and Coralie at their home to present Trevor with the
Premier’s Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding volunteer
service – recognition that Trevor was very pleased to receive.
Trevor and Coralie had a wonderful relationship. They celebrated
their 50th wedding anniversary in 2008 and Trevor always deeply
appreciated Coralie’s love, care and support. He showed great
courage and determination in battling his disease, but died in
hospital on 21 June. An estimated 200 people attended the
funeral service in the Heysen Chapel at Centennial Park on 26
June. He is survived by Coralie, his children Brian, Neil and Alison,
six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
PROSTATE NEWS 11
New help for depression and anxiety
where to get help and strategies to challenge negative thinking.
Each year about 18,700 men
are diagnosed with prostate
cancer in Australia. This
diagnosis can have a significant
impact on the man, his partner
and his family, some of whom
go on to develop depression
and anxiety.
The easy-to-follow booklet draws on the combined expertise
of the Cancer Council Queensland and academics specialising
in cancer and mental health. Importantly, it includes the real-life
experiences of men and their partners following a diagnosis.
‘We recognised a need to provide information about depression
and anxiety tailored specifically to men with prostate cancer and
their partners because we know that the risk of developing a
mental health problem increases after diagnosis,’ said beyondblue
CEO Leonie Young.
PCFA has collaborated with
beyondblue: the national
depression initiative to develop
a new free booklet to help
those diagnosed with prostate
cancer – Maintaining Your Well-Being: Information on depression
and anxiety for men with prostate cancer and their partners. The
booklet was produced with financial support from Movember
and is available from beyondblue at 1300 22 4636 (local call) or
through www.beyondblue.org.au
‘We hope the booklet will help to get the message out that noone should feel they have to go through depression and anxiety
alone. Help is close by and effective treatments are available.’
The 40-page booklet contains comprehensive information on
common reactions to diagnosis, undergoing treatment and
what to expect on the cancer journey. It includes the signs and
symptoms of depression and anxiety, checklists, information on
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR DONORS, PARTNERS AND SPONSORS FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT.
MEN'S HEALTH PARTNER:
MOVEMBER FOUNDATION
BLUE DIAMOND
PARTNERS
SAPPHIRE
PARTNER
PLATINUM
PARTNERS
GOLD
PARTNERS
ABBOTT AUSTRALASIA
AUSTRALIA POST
BRAMBLES
ROTARY CLUB OF LANE COVE
ROTARY CLUB OF TERRY HILLS
SHELL
SOUTHERN CROSS EQUITIES
TOUR DE CURE
✁
If you would like to receive additional copies of Prostate News or more information about prostate cancer
please call Freecall 1800 22 00 99, email prostate@prostate.org.au or visit www.prostate.org.au
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