International Registry for Men With Advanced Prostate Cancer (IRONMAN)

To join the IRONMAN study, you would need to be a man aged 21 or over. You must have been diagnosed with prostate cancer that has been confirmed by a biopsy.

Your prostate cancer must be advanced, meaning it has either spread (metastatic) or is resistant to standard hormone treatments. If you had a high PSA level (over 20ng/mL) when you were first diagnosed and your disease typically spreads to bones or lymph nodes, you might also be eligible.

It's important that you haven't had another type of cancer that needs ongoing treatment, though some specific types like non-spreading bladder cancer or a common skin cancer (basal cell cancer) would not prevent you from joining. You also need to be willing to provide your consent and allow your health information to be used for the study.

If you decide to take part in the IRONMAN study, you'll be asked to provide your written consent first. At the beginning, you'll complete questionnaires about your health and a blood sample will be taken. You'll then be followed for at least five years.

Throughout this time, you'll continue to receive your standard prostate cancer treatment from your own doctors. Every three months, you'll be asked to fill out questionnaires about how you're feeling and your quality of life. Your doctors will also provide information about your treatments and any changes to them. Blood samples may be collected again if your treatment changes or at certain follow-up points, and where possible, existing tumour tissue might be used for research. All samples taken will be stored for future research.