First dedicated clinic for male cancer sufferers opened

The first male cancer centre, dedicated to treating men suffering from testicular, prostrate and penile cancer, has been officially opened today at Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital.

The male cancer centre, which has been operational since January, is supported by a £500,000 donation from the HEBA Foundation and will have strong links with the regional Prostrate Cancer Support Group and Testicular Cancer Awareness (Scotland).

Bringing together healthcare specialists, support and information into a single clinic, the aim is to create a "patient-centred approach to the treatment".

Scotland's First Minister Jack McConnell unveiled plans in August for a national network of health MOTs for men by 2005, as part of the Scottish government’s drive to reduce the number of Scots who die prematurely from diseases such as stroke, cancer and heart disease.

The First Minister said: “Cancer is an horrific disease that can strike even the fittest of people at any time.

“The tragedy is that far too many Scottish men increase their chances of becoming ill by eating and drinking the wrong things, and not keeping fit. Then they compound the mistake by failing to get regular check-ups.

Grahame Howard, Clinical Director in oncology at the centre, said: “We are very grateful to the Trustees who have funded this state-of-the-art centre, which brings together all the different aspects of the care of urological malignancies in men, particularly testicular and prostate cancers. It will be the administrative centre for the South East Scotland Cancer Network Urology Group and will be a focus for future research.”

The five-year survival rates from cancer for Scottish men have increased from 25% in the early 1980s to 38% in the late 1990s. However, over the same period, for Scottish women they have increased from 37% to 48%.

(gmcg)