TRAGICALLY 10 men die and 66 are diagnosed with prostate cancer on average, every day in Australia.
With 240K men in the nation currently impacted by the disease, there is a one in five chance that a male will be diagnosed in his lifetime.
While it is imperative that men over 50 commence regular screening, Goulburn Valley Health has acquired a new $180K Trans Perineal Biopsy (TPB) machine, to more accurately and safely diagnose prostate cancer.
Allowing for more accurate sampling of the whole prostrate with minimal risk of infection, the new TPB machine has been acquired with the generous assistance of the GV Foundation, Freemasons Foundation Victoria, The MaleBag Foundation and the Shepparton Biggest Blokes Luncheon.
With a significant number of patients previously having to travel to Melbourne for a TBP, the new procurement at GV Health relieves patients and their families of unnecessary stress and financial cost.
In recognition of the incredible generosity of the philanthropic groups, GV Health held on afternoon tea in gratitude on Friday, November 18 with prostate cancer survivor and MaleBag patron, David Parkin as special guest.
Expressing gratitude for the liberal donations, Goulburn Valley Health CEO, Matt Sharp said, “Men in our region will now be able to access best practice diagnostic services for when they are going through the initial phase of wondering, do I or don’t I have prostate cancer.
“The TPB is more effective and gives greater accuracy in terms of detection, is a lot less invasive and can also have benefits in long term treatment,” Mr Sharp said.
In a video message played at the afternoon event, GV Health Urologist Dan Lenaghan said,
“This equipment means a lot because without …[it] a lot of men must travel to Melbourne for just a 30-minute procedure. Now…we will be able to do this biopsy locally for patients, it’s going to reduce delay, allowing earlier diagnosis which we know is critical for the management of these patients.”
