Newly-diagnosed prostate cancer patients in the east of England are the first in the country to receive personalised treatment options.
The East of England Cancer Alliance developed Knowing Your Options. The Cancer Alliance work with NHS hospital specialist teams and patients to transform cancer services across the region.
Newly-diagnosed patients enter their own personal cancer metrics and test results into Knowing Your Options. The interactive algorithm matches the patient’s data against the recommended treatments published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Knowing Your Options analyses their data, then sets out their full range of treatment options. It identifies the risks and benefits specific to that person.
Prostate cancer treatment options include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone treatment or symptom control. For many men, no treatment may be necessary.
With prostate cancer, there are often several treatments that are equally recommended. Treatments can have similar survival rates, but different impacts on quality of life. Personalised results allow the patient to make better informed decisions about their care. The portal gives them the chance to access this information themselves.
Dr Christopher Scrase (pictured above with a patient), is Macmillan clinical lead for cancer in Suffolk and north east Essex. He is a consultant clinical oncologist at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT).
Christopher said: “Prostate cancer is a disease that often leads to choices in treatment. This is great in many ways but can present challenges for patients and healthcare professionals. For patients, it’s how to arrive at their preferred option with enough information to make a meaningful decision. For healthcare professionals, it’s how to present information in a comprehensive and understandable way where the messaging is consistent.
“The decision-making tool for prostate cancer is to be commended. as a vehicle to help with those challenges. Information from the tool can be integrated into those important shared decision-making conversations, I would strongly encourage colleagues to use it in their everyday practice.”
Dr Petrosian Veersamy is consultant in clinical oncology at Milton Keynes University Hospital. Petrosian said: “Patients newly diagnosed with prostate cancer can face the difficult task of having to navigate the multiple treatment options available to them. This online tool offers patients the opportunity to better understand their diagnosis and the risks and benefits of their therapeutic options. The platform is informative and user friendly, offering scientifically accurate information. Patients have received the tool well. It is now a permanent addition to my new patient consultations.”
Consultant oncologist professor Peter Hoskin is clinical director for the East of England Cancer Alliance (South). Peter said: “We know that where patients receive inconsistent information it can lead to differences in the rates of both under-treatment and over-treatment in men with non-metastatic primary prostate cancer. This new tool is a fantastic step forward. It provides the latest information, tailored to each individual’s test results. The patient can be confident they have all the information they need. They can make the best possible decisions about their care and treatment.”
Dr Linda Hunter is associate medical director at Norwich and Norfolk University Hospitals and clinical director for the East of England Cancer Alliance (North). Linda said: “I am delighted that the East of England Cancer Alliance has led this ground-breaking work to address the need for a standardised decision aid. This is an independent source of evidence-based information. It will inform and enhance discussions between the patient and their care team at what can be a worrying time. Men can look at this with their healthcare provider in clinics, over the phone, by themselves and with family when deciding what to do. They only need their basic clinical results to be able to use it online.”
More than 5,000 men get prostate cancer every year in the east of England. This is the highest rate in the UK, and the number is increasing.
The new web device is for all newly-diagnosed prostate cancer patients. It is not for patients whose cancer has spread or returned.
Access the Cancer Alliance portal
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