East Lancashire prostate cancer support group launched

The inaugural meeting of the East Lancs Prostate Cancer Support Group was held on November 3rd at Burnley General Hospital and met with a positive response. Twenty-two patients with their wives, supporters or carers attended and medical staff from local hospitals were on hand to offer advice.

Now the group meets at The Mackenzie Medical Centre, Burnley General Hospital, from 2 to 4 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month. It has also set up a website – www.elpcsg.org.uk – where meeting dates and more details can be found.

A spokesman for the group said: “A large percentage of patients attend our meetings with their wives or partners and all contribute s by informing members of how they best come to terms with their own difficulties and the ways in which it can affect their lives and relationships.

“We are a very friendly group who all have one thing in common! Visitors are made to feel welcome and to be part of the group. The meetings offer men and their supporters the chance to speak with other people about their prostate cancer experiences, people who will have experienced the same as them and will know how they are feeling.”

Prostate Cancer affects 36,000 men in the UK. There are basically three types of patient who attend the new East Lancs support group meetings – men who have had prostate surgery; men who are having treatment, before or following surgery; and men who are diagnosed with the disease and have had no treatments or surgery at all but have regular blood tests to check PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen).

The spokesman added: “Our aim is to help and assure men with prostate cancer they are not alone and need not feel isolated – there are people to talk with.

“Guest speakers come to talk to us at meetings, mostly from the medical profession, who can inform patients and visitors about the different types of treatments and how and where they can obtain medical advice.”

For more information about the group visit its website, call 07548 033930 of go along to one of its meetings.