Hon Tony Ryall MP National Party Health Spokesman

14 September 2007

Strategy and guidelines on prostate cancer MIA

"Health Minister Pete Hodgson must explain the lack of progress in issuing guidelines on prostate cancer testing. The long-promised guidelines are simply Missing In Action," says National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall.

Mr Ryall is commenting on a report released today by Parliament's Health Committee on a petition which calls for a national prostate cancer screening programme, alongside urgently needed national guidelines to help advise doctors and men to make informed decisions about testing.

Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer in men. The recently released 2003 cancer stats confirmed almost 2,700 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, while 556 men died.

"This is a very serious health problem and while the world waits for the data from the two latest prostate cancer trials to come through over the next year or so, doctors and their patients have no best practice guidelines to steer them.

"What's also worrying is that the Prostate Cancer Foundation believes the Ministry of Health's website provides inadequate information.

"There are complaints of confusion and a hotch-potch of practices."

Mr Ryall says Pete Hodgson has broken a promise about national prostate cancer guidelines which he made two years ago.

"In December 2005 we were told new testing guidelines would be available 'early next year'.

"When National raised the lack of promised guidelines during the 'Movember' month of 2006, we were told they would be released by the end of 2006.

"And now that we're almost in 'Movember' month 2007 there are still no guidelines.

"It's an absolute disgrace."

ENDS

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