The Christie is the first UK hospital to become a European Prostate Cancer Centre of Excellence
The Christie has been named as one of the inaugural European Prostate Cancer Centres of Excellence. The specialist cancer centre in Manchester is the only facility in the UK to be given the accreditation. The Christie was judged to have met a number of criteria across three key areas: clinical care, research and education that were set by the European Association of Urology.
Prostate cancer affects so many people and we look forward to working with the other facilities to address some of the biggest challenges in the field. We’re proud to be one of the only comprehensive cancer centres on the list, with expertise in everything from radiotherapy and chemotherapy to research and specialist surgery.
Professor Chris Harrison
Executive Director at The Christie
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers, with around 400,000 UK men currently living with and beyond the disease. By establishing these centres of excellence, experts from across Europe can share information and work together on the biggest challenges in prostate cancer science. As well as leading the way in clinical care and research, the centres will also be training grounds for the next generation of clinicians and scientists.
“We are delighted to receive this recognition from the European Association of Urology,” comments Professor Chris Harrison, executive director at The Christie. “Prostate cancer affects so many people and we look forward to working with the other facilities to address some of the biggest challenges in the field. We’re proud to be one of the only comprehensive cancer centres on the list, with expertise in everything from radiotherapy and chemotherapy to research and specialist surgery.”
“The Christie is well-renowned for its expertise in cancer care, research and education – all the things we were looking for,” comments Professor Christopher Chapple, Secretary General of the European Association of Urology. “The team are really experienced and they’ve got a strong set of patient data. Prostate cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment will be improved by the work they and the other centres do.”
Sefton Kwasnik, lawyer and former Christie prostate cancer patient, comments: “I had complete trust in the staff at The Christie right from the get-go. I had thorough investigations before my radical robotic surgery and now, even three years later, I still marvel at the compassion and care shown to me and my partner on every visit. I am now cancer free and truly grateful to The Christie for giving me a second chance at life.
“Prostate health has always been a bit of a taboo subject, but this is slowly changing, and more men are talking about it. This awareness, combined with the world-class care and research delivered by The Christie and the other centres, means that so many more people will have positive outcomes like mine.”
In addition to European accreditation, Manchester is also home to a joint Prostate Cancer UK FASTMAN Movember Centre of Excellence with Belfast . These UK-based centres were set up by Prostate Cancer UK and the Movember Foundation in 2014. The Belfast-Manchester collaboration leverages the clinical and research facilities in both cities to improve understanding and treatment of prostate cancer.
This piece was adopted from one originally published on The Christie NHS Foundation Trust website.
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