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CMAJ
CMAJ - February 23, 1999JAMC - le 23 février 1999

One-stop shopping for prostate patients

Janis Hass

CMAJ 1999;160:469

© 1999 Janis Hass

Seven years ago, Dr. John Collins realized that his prostate cancer patients needed more than just his counsel to deal with the disease, so he helped start a support group. "We're our own worst enemies," says the chief urologist at the Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus. "As men we have this [tendency to be] stoical and we keep it stowed up inside." Today, the Prostate Cancer Association of Ottawa­Carleton has more than 300 members.

But Collins also realized there were other gaps in service for men with prostate disease, including a lack of expedient diagnosis and support in making decisions about treatment, and a shortage of support after treatment. So Collins went to work again. His next project? A centre where men with prostate cancer can get all the support and services they need under one roof.

With the backing of the Ottawa Hospital's Medical Advisory Committee and financing pledged by the private sector, the Ottawa Hospital Prostate Centre will open its doors later this year. It will be similar in concept to the Women's Breast Health Centre that already exists at the Civic campus in that it will offer diagnosis, treatment planning, research, support and information. Supporters say the need exists because prostate cancer is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer mortality among men.

"There's a lot of erroneous information out there and on the Net," adds Collins. "The guys need help in getting the right information because [this will have] a lot of ramifications and implications for the treatment of prostate cancer. Helping people in this decision-making stage is one of the areas the centre will deal with."

The multidisciplinary centre will have only a small permanent staff but will be able to draw on the services of local oncologists, radiologists, ultrasound technicians, counsellors and nurse practitioners. "This centre will amalgamate the concerns of and focus things for people with prostate cancer," says Gordon Seabrook, chair of the prostate cancer association. "It will raise awareness not only on the part of potential patients but also in the medical community."

The new centre is still in its planning stages. It may be located at the hospital's Riverside campus, and is expected to cost about $2 million. MDS Nordion, a local high-tech company, will be the main financial backer.

Wally Seeley, chair of the Canadian Prostate Cancer Network, says there is a growing trend toward establishing freestanding clinics to treat prostate disease. Similar centres already exist at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto and at the Vancouver Hospital, and there are plans for another one in Calgary. "The more the better," says Seeley. "Because of the almost epidemic proportions of the disease, things are happening despite of the lack of attention from the government."

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