Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia was formed in Sydney in 1996.
Australian support groups began to emerge in 1993, first in NSW with the formation of Prostates Anonymous, a self-help group. In the following years further groups emerged independently of each other throughout the country. Many of these groups were initiated independently of health services while others had informal partnerships with local health professionals who supported meetings with venues and occasional guest speakers. During these formative years some groups worked to raise public awareness about prostate cancer and initiated informal connections with other support groups or health agencies.
It was not until 2001 that the relationship between the national support group movement and PCFA was clearly and formally established. At this point there were 40 support groups across the country.
THREE FACTS ABOUT PROSTATE CANCER
2. Approximately 3,500 Australian men die of prostate cancer each year
3. More men die of prostate cancer than women die of breast cancer
What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer occurs when abnormal cells develop in the prostate. These abnormal cells can continue to multiply in an uncontrolled way and sometimes spread outside the prostate into nearby or distant parts of the body.
Prostate cancer is generally a slow growing disease and the majority of men with low grade prostate cancer live for many years without symptoms and without it spreading and becoming life-threatening. However, high grade disease spreads quickly and can be lethal. Appropriate management is key.
What are the symptoms?
In the early stages, there may be no symptoms. In the later stages, some symptoms of prostate cancer might include:
- Feeling the frequent or sudden need to urinate
- Finding it difficult to urinate (for example, trouble starting or not being able to urinate when the feeling is there or poor urine flow)
- Discomfort when urinating
- Finding blood in urine or semen
- Pain in the lower back, upper thighs or hips.
These symptoms may not mean you have prostate cancer, but if you experience any of them, go and see your doctor.
To find out more about prostate cancer, click here: https://www.prostate.org.au/awareness/general-information/what-you-need-to-know-about-prostate-cancer/