Charity warns of prostate cancer 'postcode lottery'
17% of cases in the South West are at the 'incurable' Stage 4 level
Prostate Cancer UK are warning regions across the UK are being left behind in what's being called a 'postcode lottery' of diagnosis and treatment.
Every year, around 10,000 men are diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer across the country, with one audit suggesting there's a higher risk for men in deprived areas being diagnosed too late.
Across the UK, more than 11,500 men die from all forms of prostate cancer every year - that equates to one man every 45 minutes.
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men, with 1 in 8 men diagnosed with the form in their lifetime. That raises to 1 in 4 for black men.
It's a disease that mainly affects men over 50, with the risk increasing with age. It is, however, something which rarely has any symptoms, so it can be difficult to diagnose.
The situation in the South West
According to statistics released by Prostate Cancer UK, 16% of men diagnosed with the cancer are diagnosed at 'stage 4' here in the South West.
Stats compare rather positively with the rest of the country, with six regions seeing greater numbers of people diagnosed with the condition.
However, with over 8,000 men diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer every year in England, that accounts for well over 1,000 cases in the South West alone.
Prostate Cancer UK's message
Prostate Cancer UK are warning regions are being left behind in a ‘postcode lottery’, as the latest data shows huge variation in the likelihood of patients being diagnosed after their cancer has spread beyond the prostate and become incurable.
The latest National Prostate Cancer Audit (NPCA) reports show significantly higher risk for men in more deprived areas being diagnosed too late for a cure.
It comes as new analysis by Prostate Cancer UK shows that English regions have begun to tackle the pandemic backlog, with referrals now above pre-pandemic levels. However, there is regional variation - with October 2022 referrals in London surging to 19% above pre-pandemic levels whilst in the Midlands they are only up 5%.
When split into regions, the data shows that in London just 1 in 8 men (12.5%) with prostate cancer are diagnosed with metastatic disease, rising to more than 1 in 3 (35%) in Scotland. Wales, Northern Ireland, and the North and Midlands of England, are also shown to be badly affected.
Meanwhile, referrals in Scotland and Wales haven’t consistently risen above pre-pandemic levels, which is needed to deal with the backlog in diagnoses.
According to stats from NHS England and Wales, Public Health Wales, Public Health Scotland, and the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, the proportion of men diagnosed with metastatic disease is as follows:
- Scotland - 35%
- North East and Yorkshire - 20.1%
- Northern Ireland - 20%
- Wales - 19%
- Midlands - 17.8%
- North West - 17.1%
- South West - 16.8%
- East - 15.6%
- South East - 14.7%
- London - 12.5%
Overall, almost 10,000 men each year are being diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer in the UK.
New figures also showed a dramatic 29% fall in the total number of men diagnosed in the first year of the pandemic, which could result in higher risk of metastatic diagnoses for years to come.
How prostate cancer is being tackled
Prostate Cancer UK is working with the NHS in these regions to help tackle these inequalities and has called on GPs to proactively engage higher risk men about the PSA blood test.
It is supporting GPs in areas of high deprivation to send targeted messages to men at the highest risk, to share the risk checker and help them make an informed choice about testing.
The charity is also raising awareness amongst black men, who are at double the risk of prostate cancer and develop it at a younger age.
Prostate Cancer UK's Chief Executive Laura Kerby is calling for 'urgent action' to tackle these inequalities.
This follows their awareness campaign back in 2021, during which 1,800 more men across the UK were diagnosed with the disease that may have been missed.
A total of 165,000 people took part in the risk checker last year - and more of us this year are being urged to do the same.
Anyone can do that - check out the charity's online risk checker here.