Prostate cancer "most common " in UK as Essex charity says there's "inequity" with treatment
Men's health charity, CHAPS, tells Greatest Hits Radio cases of prostate cancer are increasing 7% per annum
Prostate cancer has become the most common cancer in England, with new analysis showing the number of diagnoses has surpassed those of breast cancer for two years in a row.
A new analysis of NHS data by the charity Prostate Cancer UK shows that 50,751 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in England in 2022, compared to 48,531 breast cancer diagnoses in the same year.
In 2023, 55,033 men got a prostate cancer diagnosis, while there were 47,526 breast cancer cases.
Chris Booth is a retired urologist consultant and current clinical director of mens health charity, CHAPS, based in northeast Essex.
He tells Greatest Hits Radio cases are increasing by approximately "7% per annum".
"It's the secondest commonest cause of male cancer deaths at 13,000 a year. 57,000 new cases a year.
Despite the huge increase in prostate cancer cases, there is still no national screening programme for the disease that affects 1 in 8 men.
Chris tells us there's a great problem with "inequity" with male cancers:
"There are great screening services of all the common cancers that women get but there isn't for men.
"Additionally the better off you are, the more likely you are to know about prostate cancer and how to get around the system so you can get yourself screened
"If you're from a socio-economically deprived area, you're less likely to be able to access screening, you're less likely to know about and consequentially, men present later with prostate cancer and are less likely to be cured.
"We know that cases of prostate cancer are higher in Clacton than surrounding areas of Colchester." says Chris
GPs are currently prevented by NHS guidelines, set by the Government, from proactively talking to men who have the highest risk of getting prostate cancer about their risk and the option to get a simple PSA blood test.
As prostate cancer often causes no symptoms in its earlier stages, knowing your risk is vitally important, and right now men are being left in the dark.
The UK’s leading men’s health charity also reveals today that prostate cancer cases rose by a quarter (25%) between 2019 and 2023.
Prostate Cancer UK is calling on the Government to change these outdated NHS guidelines so that GPs can start having lifesaving conversations with men and is inviting supporters to sign a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
The charity’s urge comes as the latest data published this month in the National Prostate Cancer Audit shows that men living in more deprived areas are less likely to receive NICE-recommended treatments for later-stage prostate cancer.
The pandemic impacted prostate cancer more than any other cancer. 14,000 men missed out on being diagnosed and referred for treatment during the height of COVID-19.
Thankfully, because of Prostate Cancer UK’s post-pandemic campaigns and the launch of the charity's Risk Checker, the gap of those 14,000 missing men has been closed — and even reversed. As of November last year, an additional 9377 men had been treated for urological cancer compared to before the pandemic.
More than 3 million men have now taken the charity’s online Risk Checker.
Chiara De Biase and Amy Rylance from Prostate Cancer UK believe that every man should get the same opportunity to get an earlier diagnosis regardless of where they live or their background and can talk more about why it’s so important for the Government to change their NHS guidelines so GPs can advise those men who might be at risk of prostate cancer.