It’s Blue September, and at Ormiston Hospital, we’re using the month to talk about the cancer that affects more Kiwi men than any other, prostate cancer.
It’s not always an easy conversation to start. However avoiding it is exactly what makes prostate cancer dangerous. Early on, it often causes no symptoms at all which ends up being why so many men only find out once it’s progressed further than it needed to.
Why Prostate Cancer Deserves Your Attention
Around 4,000 New Zealand men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer in NZ men, and more than 42,000 men are currently living with it. It’s also the second leading cause of cancer death in men following lung cancer. However, when caught early the five year survival sits at 95%. So like so many cancers, the challenge is catching it early.
The Signs Worth Talking to Your GP About
Because early prostate cancer often has no symptoms, it’s worth knowing what to watch out for so you can take action before it keeps progressing:
- Difficulty or pain when peeing
- A weak or slow urinary stream
- Peeing more often, especially at night
- Blood in your urine or semen
None of these automatically mean cancer, many have far more common causes. But they’re always worth mentioning to your GP, especially if you’re over 50, or over 40 with a family history of prostate cancer.
What Happens Next, Screening and Diagnosis
There’s no routine national screening programme for prostate cancer in New Zealand, which makes an informed conversation with your GP even more important as you age, or if prostate cancer runs in your family. Screening usually starts with a simple PSA blood test, sometimes alongside a physical exam, and may be followed by further imaging or a biopsy if your doctor requests. It’s a five minute conversation that could catch something years before it becomes a bigger problem.
New This Year, ThuLEP and iTind
Blue September also always brings up benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), an enlarged prostate, one of the most common conditions affecting ageing men, even though it isn’t cancer. This year, we’ve expanded treatment options with ThuLEP, a new thulium laser procedure, and iTind, a minimally invasive day case treatment giving men more choices.
The da Vinci Difference
For men who do need surgery, our urology team offers robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy using the da Vinci surgical system. Performed through small incisions with enhanced 3D visualisation, da Vinci gives our surgeons more precision and control and for suitable patients it can offer:
- Smaller incisions and reduced scarring
- Reduced blood loss during surgery
- Shorter hospital stays and faster recovery
- A quicker return to your daily activities
As with any surgical technology, outcomes vary between individuals, and robotic-assisted surgery isn’t the right fit for every patient or every procedure. Our specialists will always discuss whether it’s suitable as part of your consultation.
Our Expert Care, Close to Home
This work is led by our urology specialists. The full team at Ormiston Hospital includes:
• Andrew Lienert
• Morgan Pokorny
• Andrew Williams
• Kamran Zargar
• Vincent Chong
Robotic-assisted prostatectomy with da Vinci is performed by Mr Morgan Pokorny, who specialises in robotic-assisted procedures for prostate and bladder cancer, and Vincent Chong, who also uses da Vinci and thulium laser treatment for select cases. ThuLEP is led by A/Prof Kamran Zargar, who holds subspecialty training in urologic oncology, Dr Zargar is currently the only specialist at Ormiston offering the iTind procedure.
You can learn more about our urology services and specialist team here.
The Takeaway
This Blue September, the most important thing you can do is start the conversation with your GP, and with the other men in your life. Early conversations save lives.
Want to know more? Talk to your GP about a referral, or visit our urology page to find out more.