Growing national data

We're committed to capturing the experiences of as many people with prostate cancer as possible, and we're proud to report that from humble beginnings in 2016 with two  pilot sites, we’re now collecting around 90% of newly diagnosed cases in New Zealand. Since 2019, our data collection has increased by 1,000 cases annually– to approximately 4,100 new diagnosis each year.   Alongside clinical data, individuals living with prostate cancer provide valuable insights into their quality of life, with survey response rates of about 50% before treatment and 60% twelve months post- treatment.

We couldn't achieve these high rates of engagement without the invaluable contributions of urologists, radiation oncologists, clinic staff, and, most importantly, men living with prostate cancer who are willing to contribute their own experiences to improve the future of prostate cancer care.

Reporting back

Over the past year, we've shared over 200 Confidential Quality Indicator reports with participating sites and clinicians. These 6-monthly  reports provide valuable insights into diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life outcomes for men living with prostate cancer. By bench-marking against peers and other hospitals across Australia and New Zealand, clinicians can identify areas for improvement to  enhance patient  care and quality of life outcomes.

Uncovering Trends and Variations

With a comprehensive national dataset, we're gaining a deeper understanding of trends and variations in prostate cancer diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes across Aotearoa. Our research registrar, Eng Toh, has taken a deep delve into the data this year. Research topics including ethnicity variances, MRI usage and surgical margin rates have been well received at conferences  and workshops in in Australia and New Zealand. Eng's research on trends in diagnosis and treatment for  prostate cancer has highlighted important variances between Māori and non-Māori men, and has been submitted for publication to the BJUI.

 At a PCOR-ANZ level, two bi-national reports on trends in Prostate Cancer have been released- with the latest infographic-style summary report released last month.  These can be read here

If you are interested in undertaking research using PCOR-NZ data in 2025, and are looking for a topic, please see our research page for a list of available topics- with co- supervisors available.

Taking Action for Better Outcomes

The inaugural 'Improving Urological Cancer Care Conference', chaired by Stephen Mark (Clinical Lead PCOR-NZ and Chair- CHOMNZ), brought together clinicians and other stakeholders to discuss variations and gaps highlighted by the PCOR-NZ data. This is exciting as it was the first time a quality improvement initiative of this nature has been attempted within any of the PCOR jurisdictions. A format of presentation and discussion resulted in ten recommendations for action, and these were recently presented and endorsed at the USANZ Aotearoa conference in Wellington. These included areas of action for clinicians, health services, government, and patient advocate groups.   We're grateful to The Movember Foundation, CURT and NZ Prostate Cancer Foundation Charities for their support in making this conference a success.

Improving Surgical Outcomes

One area of variation identified through analysis of the PCOR-NZ data is the rate of positive surgical margins in New Zealand.   Alongside Health NZ- Canterbury, CHOMNZ have been awarded an initial Health Research Council grant to review and improve these positive margin rates. A project group, formed at the recent Urology Annual Scientific Meeting in Wellington, is working towards a second grant to further advance the project.

Thank You for Your Support

As a charitable trust, CHOMNZ are incredibly grateful for all who voluntarily give their time, knowledge, or lived experience to support the work of improving health outcomes for those diagnosed with prostate cancer in Aotearoa, New Zealand. 

We acknowledge the funding support for our registry and related projects, from The Movember Foundation, NZ Prostate Cancer  Foundation, Canterbury Urology Research Trust, and Bike for Blokes charities.  Stay tuned for more updates and research findings in the coming year!