Eligibility for inclusion
Men
are eligible to be included on the PCR if they have had a notification
forwarded to the Victorian Cancer
Registry.
Most
cases are diagnosed by a biopsy; even in biopsy cases reported as
"suspicious" that are later deemed clear, the patient is placed on
the PCR and contacted at 12 and 24 months post diagnosis. Occasionally notifications are
made through results from scans or from the coroners’ report.
Information collected
By requirement of
the Cancer Act, 1958, all Victorian Hospitals, Pathology Services, and
Prescribed Registers are required to report cancer diagnosis to the Victorian
Cancer Registry.
Information
sent to the Victorian Cancer Registry is also retained by hospitals. Each
participating hospital sends an Patient Information and Consent Form, and letter of invitation, to men who have met criteria for prostate cancer notification, inviting
participation in the PCR.
For men who choose to participate, PCR collects data including age, demographics, diagnosis, treatment, from the hospital; and the response to a quality of life questionnaire at 12 and 24 months post diagnosis, from a follow-up phone call to the participant.
Consent
Men
can choose to opt out of the PCR without incurring any out-of-pocket expenses.
Provided
men do not opt out, their details are entered into the PCR, which is housed
within the School of Public
Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University.
By
not opting out of the PCR, men have provided consent for information on their
positive biopsy to be made available to the PCR and for further clinical
information to be collected.
Consent
is further obtained from men during a telephone interview 12 and 24 months
after diagnosis. This interview serves to confirm treatment details and to
administer a quality of life questionnaire.
Figure 1: the recruitment process.
Data
for the PCR is sourced from the patient's medical record, the Victorian
Cancer Registry, and the patient. Data collected from each contributor is
outlined in Figure 2.
