June 10 – 16th: Men’s Health Week Interview Opportunity
PERTH – Local urological surgeon, Dr David Sofield, is working to raise awareness about critical men’s health issues during national Men’s Health Week. Prostate cancer remains Australia’s third most common cause of cancer death.1 While beating the disease is the top priority for most men, survivors are sometimes faced with lasting effects from their treatment. Up to half of men that undergo prostate cancer surgery will suffer from bladder leakage and most of them will not seek a solution despite it having a significant impact on their quality of life.2 Sexual dysfunction is also a common side effect of treatment that can affect a man’s physical and emotional health. Consider the below statistics:
• 1 in 7 Australian men will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis1
• Sexual dysfunction after radical prostatectomy affects 25-75% of men3
• Men who experience sexual dysfunction have a 130% to 210% increased risk of developing depression4
• Up to half of men will suffer bladder leakage after prostate cancer treatment2
Dr Sofield is available to speak about the causes of the conditions mentioned above and why it is important to manage them appropriately:
“Prostate cancer is a major cause of death in Australian men, with a very similar impact to breast cancer in women of a similar age. Treatments (surgery and radiotherapy) are very effective at managing prostate cancer, but many men are left with major quality of life issues; particularly urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. This is not something men and their partners need to accept. These problems can be effectively managed, and we at Perth Reconstructive Urology have this as our major focus. Our dedicated multidisciplinary team (consisting of reconstructive urological surgeons, sexual rehabilitation specialists, men’s pelvic floor physiotherapist and a medically supervised weight loss program) all contribute to restoring quality to life to men after prostate cancer treatment.”
Dr David Sofield, Reconstructive Urologist, is a dual fellowship trained urological surgeon in the areas of urogenital reconstruction and oncological surgery. With extensive experience in prostate cancer surgery (including the introduction of keyhole radical prostatectomy to WA in 2004), David is very passionate about the restoration of quality of life to men with side effects from cancer treatment. He also has expertise in the management of penile cancer, urethral stricture disease, penile curvature, and is head of Perth Reconstructive Urology based in a new state of the art facility in Palmyra, WA.
