Ballarat has the third highest rate of advanced prostate cancer diagnoses in Australia, according to new data.
A Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia snapshot found Ballarat men are diagnosed with an advanced form of the disease, at a rate 134 per cent higher than the national average.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths for men in the country, with over 3,700 men expected to lose their lives to the disease this year.
CEO of the Foundation, Anne Savage, says men have nothing to fear from undertaking a test.
“What we do know is that in the Ballarat region, men are not being diagnosed at earlier stages and there are many things that we can do about that [and] awareness is key,” she said.
“It’s really important for men to be getting PSA tests; it’s a simple blood test for prostate cancer, as soon as they are eligible and at risk.”
