Prostate cancer rates have increased in recent years, however many survivors struggle with quality of life issues, a new campaign has highlighted.

The campaign, Man to Man, has been launched following the publication of a new European survey, which found that prostate cancer patients are more likely to worry about intimacy issues and feeling sick than the risk of death from cancer.

Latest figures from the National Cancer Registry show that the five-year survival rate from prostate cancer increased from 69% in 1994 to 91% in 2013. Furthermore, four in five men who develop prostate cancer in Ireland will be alive 10 years later.

However, with this increased survival comes an increased need for psychological support in the aftermath. As part of this campaign, a series of Man to Man meetings are scheduled to visit rural areas around the country next month, which is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

"With a marked increase in the number of men surviving prostate cancer in Ireland comes the increased need for greater cancer support services, such as psychological support that seeks to improve quality of life for men and their families, foster acceptance and encourage open and honest communication," commented John McCormack,

This was echoed by John Dowling, a patient with prostate cancer, who emphasised the importance of communication, particularly as men ‘find it hard to open up about the emotional struggles we experience'.

"More needs to be done to ensure more emphasis is placed on talking about and managing the quality of life needs of men and their families. The success of the Man to Man series around Ireland lies in men telling their personal stories of dealing with prostate cancer in a frank and open manner with other men and their families," he said.

The Man to Man meetings will be led by clinical psychologist, Dr Patricia Byrne, who works with the psychological medicine service at St James's Hospital in Dublin. She pointed out that death ‘is becoming less of an immediate threat for patients'.

"Rather the issue is now more about a person's quality of life and the challenge of living well despite having this diagnosis. In many ways this has become as important a focus as survival," Dr Byrne said.

The Man to Man meetings will take place at the following locations:
-Letterkenny - Radisson Blu Hotel on November 10 from 7-8pm
-Tralee - The Brandon Hotel on November 17 from 7-8pm
Athlone - Radisson Blu Hotel on November 24 from 7-8pm.

Each meeting will be followed by a question and answer session.

For more information on prostate cancer, call the ICS Cancer Nurseline on 1800 200 700.