16 UROLOGY, URO-ONCOLOGY AND SEXOLOGY UPDATE The benefits of support groups for prostate cancer patients and the experience of one practice-based support group in Cape Town for patients undergoing a robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) Prostate cancer is known to cause signicant psychosocial distress, with 30-50% of men reporting a psychosocial burden due to their diagnosis, regardless of disease stage or 1 progression. The initial diagnosis of cancer is usually highly stressful for men and their families. This is followed by the anxiety of making a decision about the best treatment option (in settings where options are available), followed by coping with side effects that are often highly embarrassing and frustrating for men. The subsequent ongoing monitoring further adds to the anxiety and stress, particularly “PSA anxiety” for men post treatment for localised prostate cancer. The impact of prostate cancer treatments on sexual function and masculinity should not be underestimated as they can signicantly affect a man's self-esteem and partner relationships. Online and in-person prostate cancer support groups have been shown to improve quality of life, yet they remain underutilised by patients and clinicians. Men are often reluctant to discuss their experiences and express their emotions in face-to-face conversations. Online support groups have the advantage of offering a degree of anonymity and therefore, potentially, a safer environment for men to discuss what are often deeply personal issues. “The underlying connecting element of a support group is the mutual benet gained by expressing one's own experience of having cancer while at the same time participating in 3 the experiences of others.” Jablotschkin M et al. Traditionally, support groups have been run by non-prot organisations or by individual survivors who have felt the need to bring men with prostate cancer together. South Africa's diverse patient groups (those accessing private healthcare vs those accessing public healthcare) can make it challenging to nd common ground and even a common language for support group members. Patients undergoing active treatments for localised disease generally fall into two main groups, namely, those undergoing a radical prostatectomy and those undergoing brachy therapy. One example of a highly successful support group in South Africa is a group that was started in September 2017 by Dr Conray Moolman and one of his patients, Paddy O'Brien. At the time, Paddy was scheduled for a robotic prostatectomy and wanted to connect with other patients that had undergone the procedure. He was provided with some phone numbers but felt that this would be too intrusive, so suggested to Dr Dr Conray Moolman is a fully qualied da Vinci Robotic Surgeon. He did his training in Belgium and performs robotic nerve-sparing prostatectomies to manage prostate cancer. He is also one of a few urological surgeons in South Africa trained to perform robotic partial nephrectomy for kidney cancer. He is part of the Cape Urology practice in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town performs all his robotic surgeries at Life Kingsbury Hospital in Cape Town Ex school principal and now a successful entrepreneur, Paddy discovered that he had stage 3 prostate cancer after undergoing surgery to treat a procedure for an enlarged prostate. Before undergoing a robotic prostatectomy, he felt the need to interact with men who had been on this journey. This resulted in the establishment of a highly successful email support group which now has over 260 members. He joined The Prostate Cancer Foundation in 2019 the Western Cape Patient Affairs Board Chairman. By the editorial team
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