Our friends at the ELPCSG West Lothian Branch continued their prostate cancer awareness campaign and celebrated 15 years of helping others, at their meeting last week.
Charlie and the team provided an update on campaign activities, which included; advertising on West Lothian Council’s website and sending letters sent to all GP Practices in the West Lothian area to raise awareness and offer leaflets, posters, and additional support to their wider teams and patients.
He also explained the role of the Edinburgh and Lothian Prostate Cancer Support Group (ELPCSG) and how they offer vital support to men receiving treatment and their families, helping them to make choices about their procedures or signposting them to more information and help.
“Local support” was a key theme of the campaign and its messaging, which included;
- Local “Buddies” provide treatment experience
- Local Members campaign to raise awareness
- Local organisations and individuals help fund and support our work.
Charlie also raised the importance of increasing current awareness following the pandemic:
“Following the recent two years of the COVID pandemic, many men have avoided seeing their doctor when they had symptoms related to urine control or pain.
A recent report from Prostate UK estimated around 16,000 men in the UK were going about undiagnosed and with one in eight men expected to get prostate cancer, it is time for men to get tested.”
An excellent presentation followed from Dr Brendan McCann, a consultant clinical oncologist at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, about current and future treatments for men diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The event and campaign received great coverage by the local press, with a one-page article published in “The West Lothian Courier” (click the link to read the full article): Courier article
Lastly, the team would like to say a huge “thank-you” to Mrs Marlene Watson, who baked this beautiful and delicious cake to help us celebrate the occasion.
Post cover image: Stuart Vance/ReachPlc