Information for Patients
How have I been identified?
If you have recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, by law, your hospital must send a notification of your diagnosis to the Cancer Registry of Tasmania.
If your hospital and clinician are contributing data to the PCOR-TAS, you will receive a Patient Information and Consent Form, along with a letter of invitation to participate, after your diagnosis. This form explains the study to you in detail and includes instructions on how to opt-out of the PCOR-TAS.
What is involved if I do not opt-out?
If you do not opt-out, you have provided consent for your relevant personal and clinical information to be collected and made available to the PCOR-ANZ. Your details will be collected by a registry staff member and entered into the Tasmanian registry, which will be transferred to the PCOR-ANZ database.
We will ask you for your consent again, during a telephone interview at 12 and 24 months after treatment. The interviewer will confirm your treatment details and ask for your responses to a quality of life questionnaire.
What information is collected?
Information collected from hospital medical records will include:
- Patient demographics
- PSA levels
- Biopsy results (eg. Tumour staging)
- Clinical information regarding treatment
- Treatment outcomes (complications, mortality)
Information collected from participants will include:
- 12-month follow up quality of life questionnaire (available via telephone interview or mailout copy)
- 24 month follow up quality of life questionnaire (available via telephone interview or mailout copy)
How is my medical information stored?
The PCOR-ANZ database is housed within a secure environment within Monash University. Your identifying details will never be released.
What if I don't want to consent?
Participation in the study is voluntary and you may choose to opt-out at any time, without incurring any out-of-pocket expenses, or affecting the level of treatment or care provided to you. If you would like to opt-out of the PCOR-ANZ, please call the free-call number: 1800 771 410.