See how the Prostate Cancer UK Policy team are working behind
the scenes to help more men survive prostate cancer and have a
better quality of life.
May 2013
Prostate Cancer UK has conducted a survey on
men's views and experiences of active surveillance. The increase in
PSA testing taking place in the UK has meant that more men are
being diagnosed with prostate cancer at an earlier stage and are
offered
active surveillance. Active surveillance can reduce unnecessary
treatment and potential side effects but comes with the emotional
burden of living with prostate cancer. Few studies have looked into
the preferences and decisions of men when first diagnosed with
prostate cancer and offered active surveillance, so we have
conducted our own report, the
results of which you can see here.
February 2013
Suspension of NICE abiraterone appraisal
On 15 February 2013, the National Institute for Health and
Clinical Excellence (NICE) announced it had suspended its appraisal
of abiraterone for men with incurable prostate cancer who have not
yet had chemotherapy. The suspension occurred as the manufacturers
have requested more time to make their submission. The
manufacturers hope to submit their evidence by the end of 2013. You
can read the press release from NICE on their website.
Prostate Cancer UK are
disappointed that NICE have been forced to push back its
appraisal of abiraterone for men with incurable prostate cancer who
have not yet had chemotherapy.
Prostate Cancer UK consultation responses
Since the beginning of 2013, Prostate Cancer UK have responded
to a number of consultations relating to prostate cancer, ensuring
that men with prostate cancer's voices are heard:
- the NHS Commissioning Board, who will take over commissioning
for cancer services in April 2013, released a consultation on
urological cancers and brachytherapy services
- the Department of Health released a consultation on amendments
to the NHS constitution
- the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
released a consultation on indicators for clinical commissioning
groups to monitor and report on.
Read all of our submissions here.
Cancer Patient Experience Survey Scotland
Prostate Cancer UK is undertaking the first ever national
experience survey of men with prostate cancer in Scotland.
Thanks to the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey we
have a wealth of information on the treatment experience of men
with prostate cancer in England, but there is very little data
available on men living with the disease in Scotland. We will be
publishing our interim findings by the end of March 2013 with a
full report to follow later. We also welcome that Macmillan will be
carrying out a national cancer patient experience in Wales and
Northern Ireland.
If you live in Scotland and have received treatment for prostate
cancer please take part in the study.
Patient voice to be involved in value based pricing
discussions
The Department of Health and ABPI have released a joint statement announcing that crucial talks
on changes to the UK-wide system for pricing and assessing new
drugs will be opened up. Prostate Cancer UK are leading a coalition of charities to ensure that
the patient voice is not lost during crucial discussions on the new
pricing system for drugs, which has potentially major implications
for patients' access to medicines. This development is excellent news and we
look forward to greater involvement from patients from now on.
If you have any questions about anything in Policy in action, or
would like to hear about other work we are doing, please contact us
on policy@prostatecanceruk.org.