Do the draft guidelines go far enough to close the treatment gap for rural prostate cancer patients?

Australia’s new draft PSA testing guidelines mark significant progress in early prostate cancer detection, supporting over 26,000 men per year who receive this diagnosis. Early detection expands access to treatments such as an active surveillance, surgery, and radiation therapy – especially those with fewer side effects like incontinence and sexual dysfunction. However, the value of increased testing will be limited unless equitable access to these treatments improves nationwide. Rural and regional men, particularly those outside the eastern states, still struggle to reach specialist care; for example, external beam radiation requires frequent trips to the treatment centres, imposing major travel and time burdens on those in remote areas. As screening initiatives progress, addressing these treatment access disparities is crucial for all Australian men to benefit equally from advances in early detection.

What are the alternatives for men living in a rural area?

For men living in rural areas, treatment alternatives like stereotactic radiation therapy (SABR) offer shorter courses with fewer visits, but another highly effective and under utilised option is low-dose rate LDR brachytherapy. This targeted procedure involves implanting tiny radioactive seeds  directly into the prostate, delivering focused radiation while sparing healthy tissue. Used safely for decades, LDR brachytherapy is a well-established, minimally invasive treatment with high survival rates and fewer side effects, such as erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Typically performed as a day procedure in under an hour , the seeds become inactive over time and do not require removal. However, despite its clear benefits, access to LDR brachytherapy remains limited and uneven across Australian states and territories, leaving many rural patients without this vital treatment option.

Read the full article by Eve Tiong