he Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) plays a vital role in the fight against prostate cancer and devotes all of it resources towards reducing the impact of prostate cancer on the community. In addition to dedicating funding to research into prostate cancer, PCFA operates 80 support groups for men and their families nationally.

While PCFA’s aim is to raise the awareness about prostate cancer across communities, with a view to saving lives through early detection, less than 1% of its income is provided through government funding, making fundraising vehicles like Table4Ten all the more important.What is prostate cancer?

• Prostate cancer is an abnormal growth of prostate cells that form a lump (tumour) in the prostate.
• In time, it will spread to other organs, particularly the bones and lymph nodes, which can be life threatening.
• It generally does not have obvious symptoms at the early, and potentially curable stage. This makes it different from other common prostate disorders, which have urinary symptoms.

Who should be tested for prostate cancer, and how often?

• It is recommended that men aged 50 and over be tested annually for prostate cancer.
• However, if there is a family history of prostate cancer, men should be tested annually from the age of 40.What is the risk of men developing prostate cancer?
• If there is no family history, a man has a 1 in 5 risk of developing prostate cancer by the age of 85-years.
• If a first-degree relative (brother or father) has had a diagnosis of prostate cancer, the risk is increased 3-fold.
• If two first-degree relatives have had prostate cancer, the risk increases 8-fold.
• Men in rural and regional Australia have a 21% higher prostate cancer mortality rate than men in capital cities.

For more information about prostate cancer, talk to your GP or contact the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia by phoning toll free, 1800 22 00 99, or visit www.prostate.org.au.

Did you know?

• The PCFA was founded in 1994 by TV presenter and prostate cancer survivor Roger Climpson, who persuaded his fellow Lane Cove Rotary Club members to join him in forming the Foundation, after going through his own successful treatment for the disease.
• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Australia (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers).
• An estimated 18,700 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in Australia each year.
• Tragically more than 3,300 men die each year from the disease.
• In the early stages, there are few symptoms of prostate cancer. However if detected early, the disease is often treatable and curable.