Living With & Beyond Prostate Cancer Conference

Friends of the Cancer Centre were delighted to support the annual conference for men living with and beyond prostate cancer on the 5th October. This event was organised and facilitated by our Urology Nurse Shelley Anderson, along with her colleagues Samantha Thompson and Kate White. The aim of this conference is to provide men who have received radical prostate cancer treatment, and their families, with an update on developments in prostate cancer care, cancer information, and support & advice on lifestyle after prostate cancer.

Those in attendance heard informative presentations from a variety of the multi-disciplinary team. Professor Joe O’Sullivan (Consultant Oncologist) dealt with the concern of “What happens if my cancer returns?” and discussed various treatment options, including clinical trials, which are crucial in providing state of the art patient care. This includes the SPORT trial which is supported by Friends of the Cancer Centre.

Many men who have undergone prostate cancer treatment have to live with the related side effects, which can influence their quality of life. The engaging presentations delivered addressed many of these potential side effects. Mairead McAloon (Occupational Therapist) dealt with how patients can plan, pace and prioritise daily activities in order to manage and overcome cancer-related fatigue. Thamra Ayton (Senior Physiotherapist) educated men on bladder and bowel health and provided some proactive steps for patients to take to improve their bladder/bowel function after cancer treatment. David Curry (Specialist Registrar in Urology) presented treatment options for erectile dysfunction, and Professor Eilis McCaughan looked further at maximising sexual health after prostate cancer treatment.

This event not only gave men and their families the opportunity to hear from front-line professionals but also provided the opportunity to engage in discussion with all those in attendance about a variety of challenging issues related to prostate cancer treatment.

“Thought this conference was very informative, provided some very useful tips”

“Brilliant conference, gives us all a lot of confidence, thanks a lot. All the questions and answers were helpful”

“Very informative event I would recommend to others”

The next Living With and Beyond Prostate Cancer Conference will be held on Friday 4th October 2019. Men who will benefit from attending this event will receive an invite nearer the time and we would encourage attendance where possible at this worthwhile event.