Australia and New Zealand have developed one of the world’s largest national prostate cancer registries, the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Registry – Australia and New Zealand (PCOR-ANZ), which could revolutionize how patients are treated by providing comprehensive insights into their clinical data and effects of treatment on their quality of life.

PCOR-ANZ is housed in the School Public Health and Preventive Medicine (SPHPM) at Monash University and was launched by the Movember Foundation. It includes registries from all states and territories in Australia and New Zealand.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide, and the most common in Australia, accounting for 120,000 men living with the disease. It is estimated that this year alone, 18,138 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in Australia.

A variety of treatment options currently exist for prostate cancer patients depending on the cancer stage. These include active surveillance, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery, among others. Although these treatments are generally used one at a time, they may be combined in some cases. Many of these treatments come with side effects, such as impotence or urinary problems, which significantly decrease a patient’s quality of life.

“Through the launch of this registry, Australia is leading the way in significantly improving how prostate cancer is treated around the world. In the future we will be able to compare clinical outcomes across the globe and, as a result, help minimize side effects of treatment,” said Associate Professor Sue Evans, head of the Clinical Registry Unit at SPHPM, in a press release.

The information from the registry will allow doctors to monitor diagnosis, treatment, complications, and long-term quality of life outcomes. Knowing how treatment impacts a patient’s health and well-being will help doctors select the best treatment option, with fewer side effects, for their patients.

“For the first time, doctors in Australia and New Zealand will have access to patient experience results from around the country. This will equip doctors with the data they need to minimize the risk of life-changing side effects and redefine what success looks like to transform the treatment and care of prostate cancer patients,” Evans said.