For the first time, The Prostate Cancer Charity, the Royal Society of Medicine and the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action have combined forces to give men affected by prostate cancer, and those closest to them, the chance to hear about the latest prostate cancer research and to question the experts working in the field.

This conference, taking place on 16 July 2007, has been developed to give men affected by prostate cancer, their families, carers, patient advocates, health professionals and researchers the opportunity to hear from the top experts about cutting edge treatments and the current state of research. In particular, the event will be discussing the issue of increasing patient empowerment through, for example, taking part in clinical trials.

During the day, men will talk about their cancer journeys with expert clinicians explaining the current research status for their particular stage of disease (such as localised disease or hormone refractory metastatic prostate cancer), addressing any issues that may have arisen from those perspectives.

Clinicians will also describe the challenges in prostate cancer research, current trials both national and international and how these might affect the treatment and management of the disease now and in the future. Other topics will include a debate on the controversial role diet and complementary therapies play in the treatment of prostate cancer today.

John Neate, Chief Executive of The Prostate Cancer Charity, said: "This is the first time we have worked with the Royal Society of Medicine to stage an event like this and we are very grateful for their support. Collaboration is essential in tackling prostate cancer which kills 10,000 men each year in the UK- that's one every hour. The Medicine and Me: Prostate Cancer Research conference will bring together leading doctors, dedicated health professionals and people affected by the disease in a forum setting so we can put our heads together to think about addressing the many of the issues we all face in tackling the disease today."

Peter Loader, 60, from Somerset, was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2002 after the cancer had already spread to his bones. Peter, who has outlived his doctor's expectations by years, will speak at the conference about challenging the disease. Peter said: "From my own experiences of having an aggressive cancer and running a support group for many years, I know how beneficial this event will be for men like myself. It will give us the chance to talk about how we can be positive in fighting prostate cancer and continue to improve our treatment experiences. I often talk to people about taking part in research trials so it will be really helpful to hear from a range of experts about trial participation with an opportunity to question the people running them. This will be an important day for prostate cancer."