NSW’s first integrated care centre for prostate cancer patients sets new standard

In a NSW-first, a centre dedicated to the comprehensive treatment of prostate cancer, offering free, integrated care for both public and private patients has opened.

Located at St Vincent’s Sydney hospital campus, the $4.3 million St Vincent’s NELUNE Men’s Health Centre provides a unique “one-stop shop” of multi-disciplinary services, tapping into St Vincent’s strengths across urology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, cancer genetics, and theranostics. This array of services is complemented by holistic, recovery-focused support, including access to a specialist prostate cancer nurse, physiotherapists, psychologists, and dietitians.

Driven by St Vincent’s clinicians mindful of the growing unmet needs among men with prostate cancer, the centre represents an integrated model of care more commonly associated with breast cancer treatment. Similar centres in Australia are rare, and none in NSW have previously offered such care to public patients.

St Vincent’s urologist, Dr Ben Namdarian, hailed the St Vincent’s NELUNE Men’s Health Centre as a transformative resource for prostate cancer patients.

“When it comes to treating prostate cancer we need to ensure that, whether you’re in the public or private health system, you’ve got equal access to the same high-quality care, particularly in the areas of precision medicine, robotic surgery, and allied health,” said Dr Namdarian.

He added, “This is about providing equity of care for all patients. Many of the cutting-edge technologies which offer better outcomes for treating prostate cancer are currently only found in the private system. But at the St Vincent’s NELUNE Men’s Health Centre, public patients can access the same support and advanced technologies as a private patient, and at no cost.”

Prostate cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, affects approximately one in six men by the age of 85, according to the Cancer Council.

Dr Namdarian further explained, “It can be particularly difficult to access and coordinate all the different and specialised allied health services that are so important to improving outcomes for men. And you need different supports at different stages of your treatment. The St Vincent’s NELUNE Men’s Health Centre offers all the services needed to improve a patient’s chances for a full recovery in the one place. It’s literally a ‘one-stop shop.’

“All the research tells us that if – in parallel to a prostate cancer patient’s diagnosis and treatment – they’ve got access to a range of allied health services and social supports, then their outcomes are much better.”

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