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Survivorship Conferences for Post-Treatment Prostate Cancer Patients

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Meet the Team

Prostate Cancer UK's Community Support Services team worked with a range of partners to deliver a range of survivorship conferences across the UK.

The Problem

Following prostate cancer treatment, some survivors endure long term health difficulties. Commonly cited problems include chronic pain, fatigue, and depression. In many areas of the country peer support is lacking. In addition, health and information centres suffer from a dearth of concrete information regarding the management of post-treatment prostate cancer patients.

Our Solution

One way to alleviate this problem is through survivorship conferences. These conferences serve as a forum for prostate cancer survivors and their loved ones, clinicians, commissioners, support groups, volunteers, policy makers and public health experts to learn about emerging cancer survivorship research and how to manage the condition post-treatment.

With all this expertise under a single roof, those affected by prostate cancer have the ability to become empowered with new sources of knowledge and clinicians can gain an insight into models which can prove cost effective. Topics discussed included:

  • The benefits of exercise and healthy eating
  • Incontinence issues
  • The psychological impact of a prostate cancer diagnosis
  • Living with hormone therapy
  • Managing erectile dysfunction
  • Managing fatigue

In total, over 16 survivorship conferences were commissioned across the four nations. These included:

The Results

Over 1,200 people attended these conferences. These various events saw a significant impact on those involved in clinical support and those affected by prostate cancer:

  • Of clinicians that attended the LGBT conference, 97% gained an increased confidence and knowledge about how to support trans-women and increase their access to services
  • Of support group leaders and volunteers that attended LGBT conference, 100% increased their ability to support the Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community and their partners affected by prostate cancer
  • Of those that attended conferences in North East England, 65% of men were able to display an increased awareness of second line treatments
  • Of those that attended conferences in North East England, 62% of men were able to display an increased knowledge about retractile dysfunction services and how to access physical and psychological support services
  • Men gained an ability to share experiences and reduce isolation