Andy Jacks, Wodonga: Country Victorian prostate cancer patients at greater risk of suicide

Prostate cancer patients in regional areas are more likely to die of suicide with higher rates of distress among men in small towns.

Prostate cancer patients in regional areas are more likely to die of suicide with higher rates of distress among men in small towns.

Around 25 per cent of men from rural and remote areas who call telenursing for support with their diagnosis have been found to have severe distress, compared to just six per cent of men from metro areas.

Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia CEO Anne Savage said many men and families with prostate cancer were feeling the effects of cancer-related distress as well as the lingering impacts of thepandemic, floods, bushfires, and drought.

“We know the distance to treatment is a major barrier, and not only does it take men away from their homes, where they feel safe and comfortable, but it can imply financial hardship or time away from work when you need to travel hours at a time just to access specialist care,” Ms Savage said.

“Accessing specialists can be very challenging in a lot of remote areas in Australia. The availability of local support can be a great challenge, and it’s one that PCFA is committed to addressing.”

Anne Savage, CEO of Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

Ms Savage said one in five men with prostate cancer experience anxiety or depression and 82 per cent report unmet supportive care needs that relate to their sexuality, or their psychological health and wellbeing.

“10 years post diagnosis, researchers have found that 35-40 per cent of men with prostate cancer experience poorer physical and mental quality of life outcomes and lower life satisfaction.

“Accessing specialists can be very challenging in a lot of remote areas in Australia. But one of the keys to resolving the challenges of prostate cancer is giving these men access to specialist nursing care.”

Andy Jacks, a prostate cancer survivor from Wodonga, said living regionally was one of the “hardest things” he’s been through.

“When you first get diagnosed, you don't know if you have to travel to Melbourne or not, and there’s this big fear of the unknown,” Mr Jacks said.

Mr Jacks said his telehealth nurse and PCFA general manager of supportive care programs Bernard Riley was “incredible” at keeping him on track.

“You see your doctor or surgeon once a month or so, and for all those questions you have in the meantime, you have your telehealth nurse available about once a week,” he said.

“There’s so many treatment options available so it’s really hard to know what’s best for you.”

Mr Jacks was told underwent surgery to remove his cancer in September and a month later was told he was finally cancer free.

Mr Jacks, a maintenance manager for an industrial site, said Covid and the border closure in Albury-Wodonga meant his family support network was limited during appointments and surgery.

Mr Jacks also had to wait weeks to see his newborn granddaughter while he was under Covid isolation protocols before his surgery.

“Luckily for me there was a very good surgeon regionally in Albury, which a lot of towns don’t have, so I was very lucky to have a surgeon on the top of his game,” he said.

Mr Jacks said the cancer diagnosis caused him anxiety.

“There’s always anxiety before the operation, because of all the horror stories of what might happen, and the possible side effects,” he said

“Those sorts of things play on your mind and make you anxious. But I was very lucky and had no side effects.”

Mr Jacks’ wife Jackie, 58, said having a telehealth nurse was what saved her through the “frightening” experience.

“I couldn’t do anything (when I found out my husband had cancer)," he said.

“I was just stunned for four days, feeling sorry for myself, which is not like me.

“I wasn’t ready to face it yet, I just wanted to hide under the table basically.

“But the Prostate Cancer telehealth came up on my Facebook search and I just thought ‘I’m going to ring that’ and the first time I spoke to them I didn’t even talk, I just listened.

“It saved us.”