Sutton Coldfield prostate cancer survivor says better screening is vital
A campaign's been started to improve testing for men with symptoms.
A petition signed by over 135,000 members of the public has been delivered to No. 10 Downing Street, calling for an end to inequality in prostate cancer screening.
The absence of a national screening programme has created a significant disparity in early detection, leading to a 'postcode lottery' where many men face delayed diagnosis and diminished treatment options depending on where they live.
For example, in London, one in eight men with prostate cancer are diagnosed with metastatic disease (Stage 3 or 4). In Scotland, however, more than one in three men face a Stage 4 diagnosis—a staggering disparity.
The charity Prostate Cancer Research has launched a new national campaign, Proactive For Your Prostate, to address these inequities in prostate cancer diagnosis across the UK.
The campaign advocates for the implementation of a national screening programme, leveraging the latest advancements in prostate cancer diagnosis to ensure early detection and better outcomes for all men, regardless of their location.
By raising awareness and pushing for policy changes, the campaign aims to eliminate the postcode lottery and provide equal access to life-saving screenings.
We've been speaking to Paul Davies from Sutton Coldfield who was diagnosed last year. He was happily running marathons a few years ago when he developed symptoms.
He has now been through treatment and is happily back to running marathons. His father had prostate cancer and was diagnosed late and went through very unpleasant treatment and so he was determined that he wouldn’t have the same experience.
"If you're somebody like me, fit and healthy but getting on into my 60s, then you really should as a man think hard about going to your doctor and asking to have a PSA test. The chances are 7 in 8 that it will come back fine but there is always a chance that it's positive.
"The thing is that if you find out early before you've got symptoms, so much can be done. I'm now back to my running and feel fit and well having had my treatment. But if I hadn't had that test things could look very different now so I'm really grateful that I took that step and would encourage anyone else to do that as well."
He is now a trustee at a prostate cancer charity that runs prostate cancer support groups across the country (Tackle Prostate Cancer).
Instead of a universal screening programme like those in place for breast and colon cancer, the UK currently offers an ‘informed choice’ programme. This approach requires men aged 50 and over to proactively ask their GP for a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test, placing the burden on individual awareness and initiative, with no guarantee that at-risk men will receive the test, potentially leaving many unscreened and undiagnosed.1
The charity believes that as a minimum, a targeted national screening programme for those at higher risk of prostate cancer should be introduced as soon as possible and should be a priority for the Government and NHS.