A significant advancement in prostate cancer diagnosis has been made at Goulburn Valley Health with the introduction of a new transperineal biopsy machine.
GV Health can now offer world class care that eliminates the need for local patients to travel to Melbourne to receive treatment.
The technologically advanced equipment was financed through the fundraising efforts of local charities.
Male Bag Foundation, Freemasons Foundation Victoria, Honda Foundation and the Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch Shepparton, with help from the GV Health Foundation, have each contributed funding to provide almost $200,000 to purchase the machine.
Visiting urologist Dr Kapil Sethi said GV Health had now surpassed many tertiary hospitals in terms of prostate diagnostic equipment.
“GV Health has the best equipment that you can get for transperineal prostate biopsies … this machine is better than most of the equipment that we would use in Melbourne hospitals,” he said.
“We can now highly accurately diagnose a lot of cancers, which could previously get missed through our old transrectal approach.”
The machine provides patients with a comfortable and less risky alternative to a transrectal biopsy.
“Traditional biopsy carries a significant infection rate and it’s almost zero with this [machine],” Dr Sethi said.
The machine also enables clinicians to obtain more accurate tissue samples, improving the accuracy of cancer diagnoses and reducing the need for repeat biopsies.
Prostate cancer specialist nurse Sonia Strachan said the introduction of the transperineal biopsy machine was a significant step forward in prostate cancer detection and diagnosis.
“It’s really exciting,” she said.
“Through the generosity of the Male Bag Foundation, Freemasons Foundation Victoria, Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch and the GV Health Foundation we’re now able to offer this in our region.”
Ms Strachan said the introduction of the machine meant patients no longer needed to travel to Melbourne to have a biopsy.
“From a diagnostic point of view, it’s much better, and also from a patient point of view in relation to stress, psychologically and physically, having to find a way to get to Melbourne was challenging,” she said.
By providing more accurate diagnoses, the machine will enable clinicians to develop more effective treatment plans for local patients.
This, in turn, will lead to better patient outcomes and an improved quality of life for those living with prostate cancer.