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By rdnewsNOW staff

Alberta

Alberta government increasing access to prostate cancer care

Jun 12, 2024 | 5:43 PM

Alberta’s government is partnering with the Alberta Cancer Foundation to deliver improved diagnosis outcomes for Albertans who have prostate cancer.

According to the Alberta government, an estimated one in six Alberta men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime, and this Men’s Health Week, Alberta’s government says it is supporting innovative ways to improve prostate cancer care. Early diagnosis and intervention are said to be critical to ensuring those who are diagnosed can receive appropriate treatment and recover to live healthy lives.

Through an investment of $3 million over two years, Alberta’s government says it will increase the availability of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET) and computerized tomography (CT) scans in Alberta. These funds are expected to be matched by the Alberta Cancer Foundation for a total investment of $6 million.

PET/CT scans are described as functional diagnostic imaging tests that use radioactive tracers to reveal tissue and organ function. Officials say these scans help diagnose certain cancers, assess how far the cancer has spread and determine if treatments are working. Right now, the PSMA PET/CT scans are only available via clinical trial, say government officials, and this funding will make the scans available to more people while awaiting Canadian Drug Agency review and funding.

According to the government, expanding access to these clinical trials will unlock the benefits of better diagnosis and treatment planning to improve care outcomes for those with prostate cancer and reduce unnecessary scans and surgeries, allowing approximately 2,000 Albertans access to the clinical trials annually.

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“Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among men in Alberta,” says Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health. “This investment will support a special kind of clinical trial to increase access to a technology that’s already proven to improve diagnosis and staging accuracy for prostate cancer patients and patients with recurring cancer who require follow-up care. This Men’s Health Week, I’d like to remind Albertans that early detection of prostate cancer saves lives, and I encourage every Albertan to raise awareness of men’s health issues.”

Provincial officials say medical professionals currently rely on CT and bone scans to diagnose and stage prostate cancer. Oncologists and nuclear radiologists consider PSMA PET/CT scans to be more effective for staging high-risk and recurrent prostate cancers, leading to more accurate diagnoses and more informed treatment decisions, says the government.

This funding is expected to support access to PSMA PET/CT scans at the Cross Cancer Institute and Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton and the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary.

“The Alberta Cancer Foundation is thrilled to support expanding access to PSMA PET trials in Alberta,” says Wendy Beauchesne, chief executive officer, Alberta Cancer Foundation. “We are making incredible progress on diagnosing and treating prostate cancer, and this trial is an important step in continuing to improve long-term survivability rates. Our donors want us to work more closely with key stakeholders and unite our efforts to make life better for Albertans facing a cancer diagnosis. This co-investment is a testament to the power of partnership.”

“PSMA PET scans improve our ability to diagnosis advanced prostate cancer and provide patients with a new and important treatment option; and for that, we are beyond thankful to our government and Alberta Cancer Foundation partners for their continued financial support,” adds Dean Ruether, senior medical director, Cancer Care Alberta, Alberta Health Services.

Alberta government quick facts

• PET/CT scans use radioactive tracers that detect PSMA, a protein that is found in large amounts on prostate cancer cells and is used to detect prostate cancer throughout the body.
• The risk of getting prostate cancer starts to rise at about age 40.
• One in 30 Albertans who are diagnosed with prostate cancer will not survive.
• About five per cent of prostate cancers are preventable.