In this section
The Prostate Cancer Research Program undertakes epidemiological and psychosocial research to improve health outcomes for men and their families and reduce the impact of prostate cancer in our community.
This includes research on individual and community attitudes and behaviours with regards to the early detection of prostate cancer in the community, as well as supportive care from diagnosis of cancer onwards for both men and their families.
Current research projects
The ProsCan Program: Patterns of care for prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is well documented as a major issue in men's health. Most recent figures indicate that one in seven Queensland men are at risk of developing prostate cancer in their lifetime. At present in Queensland, there is little information available on how men are diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer and how their diagnosis and treatment impacts on their lives.
The VCRCC, in collaboration with urologists in Brisbane (and surrounds), Townsville and Mackay and with the Royal Brisbane, Princess Alexandra, Mater (Brisbane), Greenslopes Private, QEII, Ipswich, Redlands, Redcliffe, Townsville and Mackay Base Hospitals to recruit over 1000 men with prostate cancer from across Queensland to take part in the ProsCan program (Patterns of care and health-related outcomes for men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer in Queensland). The study is following men with prostate cancer for ten years to document their patterns of care and better understand the resulting impact on their health and quality of life.
ProsCan is being conducted in collaboration with the Northern Section of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand, Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University and is the first Australian large-scale study to track men with prostate cancer from the point of diagnosis and to follow them over time.
| Staff involved | Collaborators |
|---|---|
| Suzanne Chambers Joanne Aitken Lisa Nielsen Lorraine Caesar Jan Howell Rob McDowall Leah Zajdlewicz Nikki Kennedy |
David Nicol (Princess Alexandra Hospital) Frank Gardiner (Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital; University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research) Spence Broughton (Community Representative) Stefano Occhipinti (Griffith University) Louisa Gordon (Griffith University) The Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand |
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The ProsCan Program: Support for men with localised disease
Over the past few years, Cancer Council Queensland has undertaken a program of research on the supportive care needs and quality of life outcomes of men with prostate cancer. This research has indicated a need for easily accessible psychosocial interventions targeting support for decision making about medical treatments and helping men to think about their cancer in more positive ways, as well as practical advice on coping with treatment effects.
All men in the ProsCan program who are diagnosed with localised prostate cancer are offered the opportunity to take part in a randomised controlled trial of a new support program for men diagnosed with prostate cancer. The intervention was a telephone-based psychosocial support program, designed to be flexible in order to meet the specific needs of the individual man. The program focussed on providing men with support for treatment decision making, coping, and stress management, as well as information and support around managing treatment side-effects. The ProsCan intervention employed a unique nurse counsellor model and is the first targeted support intervention of this kind in Australia. Over 700 men took part in this component of the ProsCan Project.
The intervention component of ProsCan is being conducted in collaboration with the Northern Section of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand, and Griffith University and is the first study internationally to assess this type of supportive care intervention.
The results from this intervention are currently being analysed. If the telephone service is found to be successful, it may provide a model for effective delivery of cancer support services that could be used across Queensland to provide support to patients with other types of cancer.
| Staff involved | Collaborators | Funded by |
|---|---|---|
| Suzanne Chambers Lisa Nielsen Sylvia Burns Brigid Hanley Samantha Clutton Lorraine Caesar Jan Howell Rob McDowall Leah Zajdlewicz Joanne Aitken Nikki Kennedy |
David Nicol (Princess Alexandra Hospital) Frank Gardiner (Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital; University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research) Spence Broughton (Community Representative) Stefano Occhipinti (Griffith University) Louisa Gordon (Griffith University) The Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand |
National Health and Medical Research Council and Cancer Council Queensland |
Contact
ProsCan for CouplesTM: Support for couples undergoing surgery for prostate cancer
The most substantial long term morbidity from prostate cancer is sexual dysfunction with consequent adverse changes in couple and intimate relationships. Research to date has not identified an effective way to improve sexual and psychosocial adjustment for both men with prostate cancer and their partners. As well, the efficacy and cost effectiveness of peer counselling as opposed to professional models of service delivery has not yet been empirically tested.
ProsCan for Couples is a randomised controlled trial of a couples-based intervention that targets the specific challenges couples experience at diagnosis of localised prostate cancer and after radical prostatectomy. Intervention components include psycho-education; cognitive behavioural strategies; couple relationship education focussed on relationship enhancement and helping the couple to conjointly manage the stresses of cancer diagnosis and treatment; and specific psychosexual education and sexual communication.
An audiovisual resource supports the intervention that can be delivered with peer or nurse counselling. We will evaluate the efficacy of this intervention in a three arm randomised controlled trial comparing (1) usual care; (2) six to eight sessions of peer-delivered telephone counselling with the audiovisual resource; (3) six to eight sessions of oncology nurse-delivered telephone counselling with the audiovisual resource. Recruitment for this study has now been completed, with 189 couples taking part.
ProsCan for Couples is being conducted in collaboration with the Northern Section of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Griffith University and is the first study internationally to assess this type of supportive care intervention.
| Staff involved | Peer Support Volunteers | Collaborators | Funded by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suzanne Chambers Jeff Dunn Lisa Nielsen Samantha Clutton Sylvia Burns Brigid Hanley Rob McDowall Jan Howell Lorraine Caesar Nikki Kennedy |
Spence Broughton Robert Burns Warren Depper Peter Dornan Chris Gourlay Frank Hodgkinson Bruce Layton Barry Read Allan Stroud Garth Stephens Des Lang Paul Travers |
Leslie Schover (MD Anderson) Frank Gardiner (Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital University of Queensland) Bill McHugh and Spence Broughton (Community Representatives) Kim Halford (University of Queensland) Stefano Occhipinti (Griffith University) John Yaxley (Private Practice) Louisa Gordon (Griffith University) The Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand |
Andrology Australia and National Health and Medical Research Council |
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ProsCan Partners Study
It is well understood that treatment for prostate cancer can result in urinary, sexual and bowel functioning side-effects. These issues not only affect the patient, but can also significantly impact on relationships within the family unit, particularly intimate relationships with a partner. While there is a substantial body of literature examining the psychological distress and outcomes of partners of patients diagnosed with other cancers, the information for partners of men diagnosed with prostate cancer is limited.
The ProsCan Partners Study is examining the psychosocial distress experienced by partners of men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Men participating in the existing ProsCan research project being conducted by the Cancer Council Queensland were approached for permission to invite their partner to take part in the ProsCan Partners Study. Recruitment has now been completed for the project, with over 460 partners taking part. The project will follow partners over several years to assess their ongoing levels of distress and psychosocial outcomes.
Information gathered from this study will identify new ways to support partners of men with prostate cancer and improve the services that are available to this group. It will also guide the development of more effective psychological interventions for men and their partners.
| Staff involved | Collaborators |
|---|---|
| Suzanne Chambers Lisa Nielsen Leah Zajdlewicz Rob McDowall Lorraine Caesar Jan Howell Nikki Kennedy |
Stefano Occhipinti (Griffith University) Stephen Lepore (Temple University) Frank Gardiner (Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital; University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research) |
Contact
Quality of life and genetic markers in men with prostate cancer
Some men with prostate cancer experience worse quality of life (QoL) than others. Biomarkers - the fingerprints of genes that can be assessed via simple blood sampling - could be used to identify those men before treatment. Interventions could then be directed to those men to maintain or improve their QoL.
A number of biological markers are altered in people with cancer and may be associated with QoL. This research will investigate if there are genetic markers associated with QoL in men with prostate cancer. Research into these biological markers could lead to the development of a DNA test that can predict QoL outcomes in men with prostate cancer based on genetic predisposition. This would better enable an individualised approach to care, to maintain or improve QoL through the use of effective pharmacological and psychosocial interventions, in these men throughout and beyond their cancer treatment.
| Staff involved | Collaborators |
|---|---|
| Suzanne Chambers | Kimberly Alexander (Queensland University of Technology) Monika Janda Diana Battistutta (Queensland University of Technology) Amanda Spurdle (QIMR) |
Contact
Decision-making about testing for the early detection of prostate cancer for men with a family history
The first-degree male relatives of men with prostate cancer are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer than are general population men. However, owing to continued research into the efficacy of early detection screening for prostate cancer, current prostate cancer screening guidelines do not recommend population-based screening for asymptomatic men in Australia. Rather, men are advised to make an informed, personal decision based on an understanding of the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening. These same screening guidelines apply to the first-degree relatives of men with prostate cancer who must also consider their heightened risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
There has been limited research on how the first-degree relatives of men with prostate cancer incorporate heightened risk information and use their family history to guide their screening decisions. This research examines the current screening practices of men with a family history of prostate cancer in Queensland and examines their prostate cancer risk perceptions and the psychosocial factors associated with family history risk (for example, cancer-specific worry) to help establish how having a family member with prostate cancer influences the decision to participate in prostate cancer screening.
Outcomes from this research with help Cancer Council Queensland to develop evidence-based support and information services and educational materials to assist men with a family history of prostate cancer in understanding their heightened risk of prostate cancer and making appropriate, quality decisions about early detection testing.
| PhD candidate | Supervisors |
|---|---|
| Michelle McDowell (Griffith University) | Stefano Occhipinti (Griffith University) Suzanne Chambers (Cancer Council Queensland) |
Contact
Sun exposure, Vitamin D and Outcomes of Prostate Cancer Study
Epidemiological research suggests that sun exposure, and subsequently Vitamin D, may protect against cancer risk. Precursor Vitamin D is produced in the skin with sun exposure and is then metabolised to the active form in the body. Although the evidence relating to prostate cancer is still inconclusive, it has been demonstrated that genetic changes to the Vitamin D receptor gene might also affect prostate cancer risk.
This study will explore the influence that sun exposure, Vitamin D and changes in the Vitamin D receptor, have on prostate cancer recurrence and progression. In this study, it is suggested that: increased sun exposure may be associated with lower rates of prostate cancer recurrence and improved survival; that the effect of sun exposure relates to the production of Vitamin D; and that genetic changes to the Vitamin D receptor gene may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. The project will involve men currently taking part in Cancer Council Queensland's ProsCan Project and Cancer Council New South Wales' PCOS Project.
Information from this study will identify whether sun exposure reduces prostate cancer recurrence and progression, enabling clinicians and consumers to be better informed about the relationship between sun exposure, Vitamin D and prostate cancer.
This study is a collaboration between Cancer Council Queensland, Cancer Council New South Wales, the University of Sydney, the Queensland University of Technology and the Queensland Institute of Medical Research.
| Staff involved | Collaborators | Funded by |
|---|---|---|
| Suzanne Chambers Lisa Nielsen Leah Zajdlewicz Rob McDowall Jan Howell Lorraine Caesar |
Queensland University of Technology Queensland Institute of Medical Research Cancer Council New South Wales The University of Sydney Royal Prince Alfred Hospital The Anzac Research Institute |
National Health and Medical Research Council |
Contact
Living with Prostate Cancer Study
Adjusting to a diagnosis of prostate cancer can be difficult for many men, and side effects including urinary, bowel and sexual dysfunction are common after treatment. Unmet supportive care needs are highly prevalent in men with prostate cancer, and these difficulties are amplified by lifestyle factors such as obesity and physical inactivity.
The Living with Prostate Cancer Study is a randomised controlled trial of a multimodal supportive care intervention for men recently diagnosed with localised prostate cancer, to improve unmet supportive care needs, physical activity levels and overall wellness. The intervention utilises two main strategies: self-management and tele-based group peer support. A specially designed website will form part of the intervention, to allow men access to resources and information, and to interact with other men in the study.
This study will help to identify a population-based way to reduce unmet supportive care needs, promote physical activity and improve overall wellness in men with prostate cancer, which is cost-effective.
| Staff involved | Collaborators | Funded by |
|---|---|---|
| Suzanne Chambers Lisa Nielsen Sylvia Burns Brigid Hanley Samantha Clutton Rob McDowall Leah Zajdlewicz Jan Howell Lorraine Caesar Anna Stiller Brooke Edwards Tracey Saxton |
Robert Newton and Daniel Galvao (Edith Cowan University) Afaf Girgis (University of NSW) Stephen Lepore (Temple University) Cathrine Mihalopoulos (Deakin University) Frank Gardiner (Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital; University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research) Stefano Occhipinti (Griffith University) Spence Broughton, Bill McHugh and Peter Dornan (Community Representatives) Geoff Coughlin (University of Queensland) John Yaxley (Private Practice) The Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand |
Cancer Australia & beyondblue |
Contact
More information
For more information about prostate cancer research programs contact the Program Leader: Professor Suzanne Chambers
