Parliamentary select committee findings on prostate cancer

Posted on Sep 30. by NZGG

The New Zealand Guidelines Group has welcomed the report of the Health Select Committee from its inquiry into early detection and treatment of prostate cancer. NZGG provided evidence to the inquiry. 

The report is a significant step forward in the fight against prostate cancer. It not only covers improving the existing services for diagnosis and care of prostate cancer patients, but also provides a pathway toward better provision of information to and involvement of consumers in the decision making alongside their general practitioners.

NZGG supports the recommendation that more information is available for men to make informed choices and to encourage them to seek up-to-date evidenced-based information from their GPs about screening and treatment. This is especially needed in areas like prostate cancer screening where there is uncertainty in the evidence, so it is vitally important that the harms as well as the benefits are understood.
World research on prostate cancer screening has expanded vastly since the development of the current New Zealand GP and consumer resource on prostate cancer screening, especially following publication of critical research trial findings on the effectiveness of screening. NZGG therefore hopes that the government will update current advice in the near future.

Given that this is a national topic in focus at the moment, we reproduce the information we provided in the October 2009 Bulletin in our topic in focus.

The select committee report is available from its website.

• Update of evidence for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in asymptomatic men
• Suspected cancer in primary care: guidelines for investigation, referral and reducing ethnic disparities
• Testing for prostate cancer: a consultation resource
• Testing for prostate cancer: information for men and their families