Since 2016, certified prostate cancer centres have been able to participate in the Prostate Cancer Outcomes (PCO) study. The aim of this study is to compare outcomes across centres after local treatment for prostate cancer. The study originated from a support group initiative and is jointly carried out by the German Cancer Society (Deutsche Krebsgesellschaft), the certification institute OnkoZert, patient support groups and the participating centres. So far, centres have been more successful at recruiting patients undergoing surgery than those receiving radiotherapy as the definitive treatment. This means that conclusions for the latter group of patients are almost impossible. It is important to us that all types of treatment are equally well represented in the study; thus, we encourage radiation therapists to participate in the PCO study.
Keywords: Certification; Health Services Research; Patient Reported Outcome Measures; Quality Improvement; Variation.