Patient and public involvement in research
How you can help shape prostate cancer research.
Volunteer with us to help shape research with your lived experience of prostate cancer. You can get involved whether you yourself have been diagnosed or if you’re a relative, partner or close family friend of someone who has been diagnosed.
Why be involved in research?
The best research happens when men with experience of prostate cancer are involved in its design, funding and delivery. Researchers want to learn from those who have experience of prostate cancer and you can help shape how they carry out their research, ensuring that the views and experiences of those affected by prostate cancer inform their work. Your input could have a longer-term impact on improving how prostate cancer is diagnosed and treated.
1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer - and if you are over 50, or you are Black, or have a family history, you're at even greater risk. That's why we're working to reach more men across the UK to support them in their prostate cancer journey and involve them directly, to help shape the future of research, to make sure we leave no man behind.
What is involvement in research?
Patients and the public can get involved in research to shape what research gets done, how it is carried out, and how the results are shared and applied in practice. Getting involved means men are included as active partners in the research process, working alongside researchers, providing valuable insights and perspectives. Involvement in research is research done with or by patients and the public. Involvement in research is not the same as taking part or participating in a research study.
Taking part in a research study
Participation in research is about people giving formal consent and taking part in a trial or study. If you are a prostate cancer patient and interested in taking part in a study, please talk to your hospital team. To help with your discussions with your hospital team, you can also contact our specialist nurses for information about clinical trials which may be suitable in your circumstances.
How you can get involved
We are looking for people like you, with an interest in research, to get involved in shaping the future of prostate cancer research.
We are particularly looking to involve Black men, or their families, as we recognise this is an under-represented group within our network. By having a diverse network that involves men from a variety of backgrounds, we hope to remove barriers to participation and ensure prostate cancer research has the potential to benefit all men.
We offer two routes to get involved in research:
1) Joining our Patient Representative Network
Great if you .... • Are new to being involved in research and/or would like to gain some experience in involvement • Would like to give involvement in research a go to see if it's for you • Would prefer taking on involvement opportunities on a more flexible basis
2) Becoming a Patient & Public Involvement Representative
Great if you.... • Have some previous experience of involvement in research, or evaluation and critiquing research funding applications • Can commit to preparing for and attending four to five meetings per year • Are willing to represent the views of those affected by prostate cancer as part of our scientific committees
