Movember Foundation Puts Its Money Where Its 'Mo' Is to Launch True NTH

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - September 29, 2014) -

• Movember Foundation commits $40.8 million globally to change the way men live with and beyond prostate cancer, $11.4 million is allocated to Canadian projects
• True NTH puts the spotlight on helping men with prostate cancer and their families to overcome a range of prostate cancer side effects from sexual health to depression and helps them get their lives back on track following diagnosis and treatment

As millions of men around the world prepare to donate their upper lips to Movember -- the Movember Foundation announces the largest-ever global investment into improving the quality of life for men living with prostate cancer through the launch of their True NTH program.

For men living with prostate cancer, there are huge lifestyle impacts that leave men in the dark about how they can go back to living a normal life. A significant proportion of men living with and beyond prostate cancer will experience sexual health issues such as erectile dysfunction, psychological issues including depression, and also continence issues that have debilitating impacts on their lives and their family's lives.

This is not acceptable. True NTH is a revolutionary new program that helps men living with prostate cancer to get access to quality of life-enhancing information, care and support including treatment information, lifestyle advice, experiences shared with other prostate cancer survivors, and better access to healthcare professionals. Launching in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK and USA, this comprehensive set of personalized programs will revolutionize the way that men and their families live with and beyond prostate cancer.

"Prostate cancer doesn't just affect men but their loved ones, families and relatives too," said Ms Roberta Casabon, Ajax, Ontario, a widow who lost her husband to prostate. "My husband died of prostate cancer five years ago and while I was looking after him it took over our lives. I have been involved with True NTH to help provide a voice for caregivers and highlight the needs they have in being able to access helpful information 24-hours a day to look after their loved ones."

"True NTH provides hope to the many prostate cancer patients and their families around the world. It is a collaborative approach that has had input from a broad range of healthcare professionals and prostate cancer survivors alike," said Dr. Andrew Matthew, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario. "Prostate cancer has a multitude of side effects including sexual dysfunction, incontinence, and a fears regarding future health. True NTH addresses all of these needs through providing information and innovative resources for men and their carers. It will change how we tackle and manage prostate cancer." Dr. Matthew is a Clinician-Investigator in the Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, and a member of the Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care at Toronto's Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

In Canada, True NTH is managed by Movember's men's health partner Prostate Cancer Canada, the program takes a truly collaborative approach and involves solutions teams from across the country.

"In Canada, 1 in 5 cancer survivors are men living beyond a prostate cancer diagnosis, and with 23,600 new diagnoses each year, the impact of the disease continues to grow," says Dr. Stuart Edmonds, VP of Research, Health Promotion and Survivorship at Prostate Cancer Canada. "With better treatment options, men are living even longer with the disease and have greater survivorship needs. That's why we are proud to lead the development of the True NTH suite of solutions that are all about offering the right support, at the right time, in the right place, by the right individual."

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide for men. Over the past 25 years, a dramatic improvement in survival has been observed, partly due to earlier diagnosis and improvements in treatment. However, as survival rates improve, there is an overwhelming growing need to address the quality of life, the quality of care and services to help manage prostate cancer as a long-term chronic condition to help men get back to living a normal life.

The Movember Foundation is uniquely positioned to bring independent healthcare professionals, men living with prostate cancer and their families from around the world together to shape the True NTH program. Using money raised by Mo Bros and Mo Sistas, the Movember Foundation has been able to bring these global experts together for the first time to design and implement the most comprehensive personalized programs that address the critical unmet needs of men.

The Movember Foundation's Executive Director of Programs, Paul Villanti, commented, "Historically, the investment into new approaches to prostate cancer care has been very low and the quality of life of many men living with prostate cancer is totally unacceptable. As treatment for men with prostate cancer is completed, many men report fear of recurrence, fatigue, distress, anxiety, depression, erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Not all of the required services are available to support men in these areas, yet they are vital to supporting men and their families return to living a life as normal as possible. For all these reasons, there is an urgent need to change the way in which prostate cancer services are delivered. True NTH addresses this head on and will help improve the journey of men and their families living with, and beyond, prostate cancer."

True NTH will initially be rolled out in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK and USA. The services will be monitored and evaluated to ensure that there is a demonstrable impact on care with a view to scaling the programs nationally and internationally.

View the Movember Foundation's True NTH video here.

About the Movember Foundation

The Movember Foundation's vision is to have an everlasting impact on the face of men's health. We do this by getting men to grow moustaches during Movember (the month formerly known as November) to spark conversation and raise funds for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health. Together with the Movember community we have raised more than $574 million CAD, and have funded more than 800 world-class programs in 21 countries. We're committed to changing the face of men's health and won't stop growing as long as serious men's health issues remain. 

Movember is a registered charity in Canada - BN 848215604 RR0001. For more information please visit Movember.com.

Tags: