Beatriz Mora, Surgical Care Practitioner at North Bristol NHS Trust, describes how specialist urology practitioners are helping to transform prostate cancer care – and why the roles are perfect for any aspirational nurse who wants to improve the patient experience. UK prostate cancer care is at a critical juncture. 2020 began with confirmation that prostate cancer had overtaken breast cancer asthe most commonly diagnosed cancer in England – ten years ahead of previous estimates, while news revealed a deeper context around a worrying shortage of prostate cancer nurse specialists accordi ..read more

Health authorities globally are warning that antibiotic resistant infections could be a new ‘hidden pandemic’. Latest statistics from the UK Health Security Agency, released in November ’21, cited that one in five people in the UK with a bloodstream infection in 2020 had an antibiotic resistant one. These are worrying statistics. Not only that, but the number of antibiotic resistant infections generally is increasing. For men undergoing diagnosis for prostate cancer, this raises particular concern – especially given that the traditional biopsy methodology, the TRUS (or transrectal) biopsy, ca ..read more

In Summer 2023, BXTA celebrates its 10th anniversary as we reinforce our commitment to helping eradicate cancer. Founded in 2013 as a specialist provider of low dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy seeds for prostate cancer treatment, we are extremely proud of the growth and outcomes we have achieved in these last ten years, having become a leading international uro-oncology organisation, committed to providing the most innovative solutions in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Today, our innovative technology, combined with an unrelenting commitment to service excellence, supports healthcare profess ..read more

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men across the United Kingdom, with approximately 1 in 8 men being diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their life. Affecting more than 50,000 men every year, it is important to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms to look out for. The good news is that the number of men having treatment for prostate cancer has jumped by more than a quarter in England in one year, according to new NHS figures. Almost 4,000 men received prostate cancer treatment in August 2022 (3,898) compared to just over 3,000 in the same month in 2021. Furthermor ..read more

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United Kingdom. However, Macmillan revealed that prostate cancer diagnoses were down 29% between 2019 and 2020, meaning men weren’t seeing their GPs to begin to get diagnosed. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to spot any symptoms and get checked, as an early diagnosis can help not only increase survival rates, but also offer a more varied choice of treatment options. Community pharmacy teams play a fundamental role in educating men who may be concerned about their health. To maximise the trusted relationship between pharmacist te ..read more

As the UK recognises and celebrates the amazing achievements of the National Health Service (NHS) on its 75th anniversary, BXTA is also proud to celebrate 25+ years of one of the most effective treatment options for prostate cancer, low dose-rate brachytherapy. Prostate cancer is the second most frequent cancer diagnosis made in men and the fifth leading cause of death worldwide1, much of which is attributable to patients with intermediate-and-high-risk PCa where 10-year survival is as low as 25% without treatment2. Yet despite the prevalence, burden and human impact of the disease, one of the ..read more

ANNOUNCEMENT FOLLOWING PUBLICATION OF NICE RECOMMENDATIONS ON LOCAL ANAESTHETIC TRANSPERINEAL (LATP) BIOPSIES BXTA welcomes the publication of the new NICE guidelines for undertaking prostate biopsies which recommend that: “Local anaesthetic transperineal (LATP) prostate biopsy using the freehand needle positioning device PrecisionPoint is recommended as an option for diagnosing prostate cancer.” Since early 2018 and the launch of the PrecisionPoint device, BXTA has led the transformation of UK prostate biopsy practice to the LATP method from the previously established transrectal procedu ..read more

As it stands, not all men across the United Kingdom have access to the latest biopsy techniques and treatment options for prostate cancer, which are often postcode dependent due to availability and nursing shortage. However, giving patients control over their choice is key; as the side effects of the different treatment options can vary and may have an impact on a gentleman’s lifestyle, and therefore, quality of life post-treatment. Every man going through treatment for prostate cancer should be given an equitable opportunity. This is something that Camberley-based John Whitehouse realised, s ..read more

If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, it is important to consider the full range of treatment options – including those that may not have been mentioned to you initially by your hospital or treatment centre, such as brachytherapy. When caught early, prostate cancer has a good survival rate – around 475,000 men in the UK are either living with, or after, prostate cancer – so it is worth taking some time to understand about the potential medium- to long-term impact of your treatment on your lifestyle and be aware of what you can expect after brachytherapy for prostate cancer. In choo ..read more

At BXTA, we are off to a busy start to the new year already, with many exciting meetings and events planned for the first half of 2023. Please find a list below to find out where we are attending between now and June 2023: Australian Brachytherapy Group (ABG) Conference: The 32nd Annual Scientific Meeting, the Australian Brachytherapy Group (ABG) Conference, is taking place between the 9th and the 11th of February at the Manly Pacific Hotel in Sydney. The ABG Conference plays an integral part in bringing together passionate and dedicated brachytherapy practitioners. After two years of virtual ..read more