Freemasons Victoria
Freemasons Victoria and the Freemasons Foundation are very proud to hand over a cheque for $750,000 to the Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre.
In Australia, Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in Australian men (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer). About 20,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. That’s almost 55 new cases every day. By 2020, this number is expected to rise to 25,310. 1 in 5 men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime, compared to 1 in 8 women who will develop breast cancer. Prostate Cancer accounts for 13% of all cancer related deaths in Australia.
Fortunately, advances in research, early detection and treatment have increased survival rates dramatically.
Use of the blood enzyme marker, prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing and new methods of accurate prostate tissue biopsies mean that prostate cancer can now be detected earlier and more accurately.
In 2013, leading experts on prostate cancer at the Australian Prostate Cancer Research world congress released a consensus statement on the early detection of prostate cancer. For men aged 50–69, evidence demonstrates that PSA testing reduces prostate cancer-specific mortality and the incidence of metastatic prostate cancer. Baseline PSA testing for men in their 40s is useful for predicting the future risk of prostate cancer.
