05/04/2024
1 in 6 Australian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. Prostate cancer is by far
the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Australian men, accounting for more than a quarter of all
male cancers - around 25,500 annually. Of these, around 16 percent have incurable late-stage disease,
resulting in the loss of of around 3750 male lives annually, often after debilitating treatment.
The South West Victorian Region appears as one of a very few "red zones" in the Australian Cancer Atlas,
highlighting that excess deaths from prostate cancer are an alarmingly 50-60 percent higher than the
national average – this in spite of the Region’s diagnosis rate being close to the national average.
Experience both here and overseas points very strongly to late testing and diagnosis being the primary
causative factor, manifesting in more advanced and more aggressive cancers that are hard to treat
