South Eastern Sydney welcomes world-class cancer treatment this Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

Hurstville, New South Wales – GenesisCare has announced the availability of a cutting-edge treatment option for patients in South Eastern Sydney living with prostate cancer, coinciding with Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

Stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (known as SABR) is a highly accurate, non-invasive type of radiation therapy that targets both the tumour’s connective tissue and DNA, helping to rapidly kill the cancer cells.¹

GenesisCare Radiation Oncologist, Dr Mark Sidhom, said: “SABR allows clinicians to precisely deliver a high dose of radiation directly to the tumour with sub-millimetre accuracy, destroying cancer cells while preserving surrounding healthy tissues.²

“This is especially important for cancers located near other sensitive organs, such as prostate cancer, as it can help to protect the healthy cells and minimise side effects.”

Prostate cancer is the state’s most commonly diagnosed cancer in men,³ accounting for more than a quarter male cancer diagnoses in New South Wales.⁴ An estimated 1-in-5 men will be diagnosed with disease by the age of 85.⁴

For approximately 50 per cent of all cancer patients, radiation therapy plays an important role in the treatment pathway, used with curative intent and in pain and symptom management.⁵

“SABR enables us to deliver treatment across five or less sessions, compared to the 20-40 sessions required with conventional radiation therapy, significantly reducing the physical and emotional burden of treatment for our patients,” said Dr Mark Sidhom.^6-8

GenesisCare General Manager of Oncology in NSW, Dr Kathy Kociuba said: “During the current pandemic, globally we have seen a significant uptake in the use of stereotactic radiation therapy and hypofractionation as these treatments reduce the number of visits patients are required to make to hospitals and centres, allowing them to spend as much as time as possible in the safety of their own homes.”

“GenesisCare is steadfastly committed to ensuring men across NSW receive rapid access to the latest advancements in treatments for prostate cancer and the best possible life outcomes.

“In NSW we offer a regional travel package for our stereotactic patients where we reimburse rural patients for their costs of accommodation, as well as free transport to and from the accommodation to our centres,” said Dr Kociuba.

Prostate cancer patients will now have to this new treatment option at the GenesisCare Hurstville centre.

In addition to the SABR treatment, prostate cancer patients can access free allied health services including physiotherapy before, during and after their treatment. Physiotherapy includes pelvic floor muscle training, managing incontinence, urgency and frequency, erectile dysfunction, side effects of hormonal treatment and small group exercise classes.