Prostate cancer pilot study unveiled

CLARE prostate cancer patients are to participate in a groundbreaking pilot study on the incidence of the disease in a bid to develop effective therapies and improve survival rates.

The Prostate Cancer Institute (PCI) at NUIG will conduct the prostate cancer cohort research programme in Clare, in association with the Clare Cancer Support Centre in Kilnamona.
The study has been prompted by concerns about the high incidence of the disease among men in the West of Ireland.
The number of suspected prostate cancer cases seen in the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick increased from 301 to 311 from 2006 to 2007, while the numbers at University College Hospital, Galway rose from 820 to 1,100 over the same period, according to official statistics.
The number of prostate cancer sufferers in Clare increased from 62 in 2003 to a high of 74 in 2007. The figures were 67 in 2004, 65 in 2005 and 55 in 2006, while the latest figures show a total of 62 cases in 2008.
Prostate cancer is the most common internal cancer in men in Ireland and more than 500 die from the disease on an annual basis. The latest information from the National Cancer Registry of Ireland reveals that 2,406 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in 2005, which means men have a 1 in 12 chance of developing prostate cancer during the course of their lifetime. The National Registry also estimates that there will be a 275% increase in the incidence of prostate cancer by 2020, which means 3,768 new cases will be diagnosed in 2020.
It is expected work on the Clare study, believed to be the first of its kind in the country, will start within the next six months once the PCI secures approval from its ethical research guidance committee.
Statistical information on Clare men with or at risk of developing prostate cancer will be collected together with their relevant medical and cancer family history log. Once all the information is stored, experts will examine if there is any evidence of any clustering of cancer in different towns or regions.
Lessons learned from the Clare study will be used to implement any necessary fine-tuning when the project is rolled out to other counties in the West of Ireland.
Founding director of the Prostate Cancer Institute, Professor Frank Sullivan explains 50 prostate cancer patients from a particular area of the same age and general medical history in Clare will be control matched with people who don’t have cancer for comparative purposes.
“Ultimately, it is a very powerful tool to establish what is different for the ones who have developed cancer. Out of a 1,000 men, some will develop prostate cancer, others will not. If all eat the same food and breathe in the same environment why do some guys get it and some don’t?
“I may not have a diagnosis of cancer; if I participate in the study, I can contribute to better outcomes in the longer term.
“Patients will be tracked in terms of their treatment to see if they are alive and well and to see side effects. All the information will be collected and age matched before it is linked into the laboratory.
“The Cancer Registry of Ireland gathers information on prostate cancer but it is often refers to years down the line. We would like to get it more interactive and real time with a connection between the research programme and the community.
“Whatever we learn in Clare it will make it easier to go to Galway, Mayo and Roscommon and Leitrim. Once that is done, we will have a phenomenally powerful weapon in the fight against prostate cancer,” he said.
While prostate cancer is the second most common killer of men after lung cancer, Professor Sullivan points out it is highly curable once it is detected early.
Professor Sullivan is a professor of radiation and oncology at NUI Galway, medical director at the department of radiation oncology department at UHG and has a fellowship in oncology from the National Cancer Institute in Maryland in the US.
Separately, the Clare Cancer Support Centre organised a seminar involving a variety of presentations from cancer specialists, which attracted over 300 people to the West County Hotel, Ennis last Saturday.
Over 800 cancer patients and family members have received support free of charge from the Kilnamona centre over the last year. The organisation, which gets no government funding and has to survive on voluntary donations, can also put people in touch with practical, emotional and social support groups. It provides a drop-in service at a centre in Kilnamona for anyone who is affected by or concerned about cancer.
People can call from Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5pm, while evenings and weekends are available on request. For more information, contact 1850 211630 or 087 6912396.