PEOPLE often don't hear "anything" much after being told they have cancer, which is why having specialist nurses offering guidance and coordinating support is important, Nancy Consoli says.
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Ms Consoli is one of two prostate cancer specialist nurses working out of the Calvary Mater Newcastle, thanks to the support of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.
"In the Hunter, we have some of the highest percentages of gentlemen diagnosed in NSW - why that is, we don't know, so further research needs to be done," she said.
"Often in a patient's journey, they don't hear anything once they've heard the word 'cancer'. And understandably, specialists are busy.
"So having someone they can contact afterwards to clarify things, to chat to, to ask questions, can really help them feel supported."
Ms Consoli, and fellow prostate cancer specialist nurse Tracy Scott, have been working in these roles for the past 12 months.
In that time, they said they had identified a gap in some of the public psychological services available for men suffering from erectile dysfunction after prostate cancer treatment.
"Gentlemen tend to hear what we're saying prior to treatment, and they understand that it might become an issue, but their focus is - naturally - on the treatment," Ms Consoli said.
"But after treatment, when they've passed that initial acute period, they start looking at quality of life down the line, and these issues can start to become a problem.
"They have survived cancer, and now they have the rest of their lives to deal with the rest of it. We can do the clinical side in regards to recommending interventions they can use.
"The Mater has psychology services. But for these patients to have more people they feel comfortable talking to specifically about body image, about changes in relationships and changes in function - people who really specialise in that area - would be very beneficial."
Ms Scott said they were also trying to help men minimise the other possible side effects of prostate cancer treatment, such as incontinence, loss of bone mineral density, loss of muscle mass, and metabolic effects.
"Luckily some of our colleagues are already making in-roads in this area, but we are planning to devise some clinical pathways to assist in this," she said.
"It's also important to advocate for improving general health and well being - both physical and psychological - through exercise and diet.
"Aerobic and resistance exercise has proven to be very helpful in helping with many of the side effects our patients experience."
The nurses said early detection was "crucial" in effectively fighting prostate cancer.
"Men over the age of 50 - or 40 if they have a family history of prostate cancer - need to talk with their GP about prostate health," Ms Consoli said. "We are blessed that the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia funds our roles.
"Now we just want to raise some more awareness to let people know that we are here to help."
