7:00am Saturday 5th July 2008
WORLD Cup legend, Sir Geoff Hurst, backed by leading doctors, MPs and patient groups has appealed for all men with prostate cancer to get access to the best care as it emerged seven out of 10 with advanced disease do not receive chemotherapy despite being eligible for treatment.
Senior cancer specialists warned that while some men may have been offered chemotherapy and turned it down, others might never have been given the option at all and so many patients are currently not being offered the full choice of treatments that could extend their lives.
The new 7 out of 10 campaign, which is calling for all men with prostate cancer to be made fully aware of their options, was launched this week by Sir Geoff Hurst by the Houses of Parliament in London.
To illustrate the 7 out of 10 statistic, he was joined by 10 men, including seven dressed only in underwear bearing the campaign’s distinctive dice logo and the slogan “Access to prostate cancer care shouldn’t be left to chance”.
An early day motion supporting the campaign, sponsored by Howard Stoate MP, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Men’s Health, has been laid down in Parliament and which MPs are being urged to sign.
Members of the House of Commons and House of Lords are also being encouraged to ask Parliamentary questions and write to their NHS Trust about whether patients are being offered all treatment options, including chemotherapy, in line with NICE guidelines.
Around 35,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the UK.
It kills around 10,000 men every year, or 27 every day, placing it second only to lung cancer as the most common cancer killer of men.
Launching the campaign, Sir Geoff Hurst, whose hat trick famously won the 1966 World Cup Final for England, said: “Like any footballer, luck as well as skill has played a part in my success. There are some who would argue that were it not for a fortunate decision by the linesman on my second goal in the final in 1966, England might not have gone on to win the World Cup.
“However, when it comes to your health, none of us want to take any chances and so that is why I am backing this campaign. It is important that men with this disease, which is the most common cancer in British men, know all their options so they can make informed decisions and get the best possible care they can.”
John Anderson, consultant urologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, said: “There are major differences across the country, which means many men with advanced prostate cancer patients are not being offered the full range of treatments.
“Access to prostate cancer care should not be left to chance. We need to encourage better shared care across the country and for medical teams to work more closely together, so all patients are fully aware of their options.”
The 7 out of 10 campaign, which is being sponsored by sanofi-aventis, aims to ensure that all prostate cancer patients and their carers are made aware as early as possible of all potential treatment options and are empowered to make informed choices about the management of their disease.
It also aims to drive the multi-disciplinary approach to the management of prostate cancer patients and to foster communication between urology and oncology teams as recommended by NICE, to ensure that all treatment options are fully explored with the patient.
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