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  • Prostate cancer cases overtook those of breast cancer by thousands in both 2022 and 2023, according to Prostate Cancer UK analysis of NHS data.
  • Huge increase shows that more men than ever before are learning about their risk and taking action off the back of the charity’s post-pandemic awareness campaigns.
  • Greater numbers of men are also receiving radical treatment – proving that more men who urgently need to be treated are now coming forward and getting appropriate care.
  • The earlier you find prostate cancer, the easier it is to treat. Find out your risk and what you can do about it with Prostate Cancer UK’s Risk Checker, already used by 3m+ men.

 

 

Prostate cancer has become the most common cancer in England, with the number of diagnoses surpassing those of breast cancer for two years in a row, according to new analysis from Prostate Cancer UK.

Data from the NHS in England 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. The following year (2023), 55,033 men got a prostate cancer diagnosis, while there were 47,526 breast cancer cases. (1)

The UK’s leading men’s health charity also reveals today that prostate cancer cases shot up by a quarter (25%) between 2019 and 2023.

 

 

Prostate cancer was impacted by the pandemic more than any other cancer. Because people were less likely to visit their GP at the height of the pandemic, more than 14,000 men who should have been diagnosed and referred for treatment were missing from the health system.

In February 2022, Prostate Cancer UK joined forces with the NHS and launched a national campaign to find these men, and the charity created its online Risk Checker, enabling men to find out their risk of getting prostate cancer and learn what they can do about it. More than 3 million men have now taken Prostate Cancer UK’s Risk Checker.

The latest data demonstrates that, since Prostate Cancer UK’s post-pandemic campaigns, awareness about prostate cancer is rising, and that’s leading to thousands more men getting early, life-changing diagnoses.

As of April 2024, the gap of those missing 14,000 men was closed and the men ‘found’, as the number of men receiving treatment recovered from the pandemic. Even better news: by the end of last year this deficit was actually reversed, with 9377 extra men having been treated for urological cancer by November 2024 compared to before the pandemic. Prostate Cancer UK estimates 70% of all urological cancers are prostate cancer.

These campaigns have been powered by the celebrities, such as Nick Owen, Bill Turnbull, and Colin McFarlane, opening up about their own diagnoses; Prostate Cancer UK supporters and volunteers spreading the word and sharing their own stories; and organisations like the NHS partnering with the charity.

Further data, from the ‘State of the Nation’ report by the National Prostate Cancer Audit (published on 9th January 2025), shows that more men are also receiving life-saving radical treatments. The number of men receiving radical prostatectomy has increased by 17% in 2023 when compared to 2022; the number of men getting radical prostate radiotherapy is also up by 23%. (2)

Not all prostate cancer behaves in the same way — sometimes it is very slow-growing, and some men are better off being monitored rather than treated. More great news is that, as of 2021, the number of men with slow growing disease who are being radically treated (known as overtreatment) has remained low and stable (8%). This is important evidence that the sharp rise in treatments reflects more men being diagnosed who urgently need to be treated.

Despite the huge increase in prostate cancer cases, there is still no national screening programme for the disease that affects 1 in 8 men. 

Moreover, 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 free PSA blood test. As the disease often causes no symptoms in its earlier stages, this situation is leading to men not knowing they have it until their cancer has spread and become harder to treat.

This situation is leaving men in the dark about their prostate cancer risk and is causing massive health inequities in the UK — unfairly and disproportionately contributing to more late diagnoses and worse outcomes in certain communities than in others, and taking thousands of lives needlessly every year.

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 high risk localised/locally advanced prostate cancer (3). In contrast, prostate cancer is most frequently diagnosed in men living in more affluent areas because of greater awareness and easier access to PSA testing.

Prostate Cancer UK is calling on the Government to change these outdated NHS guidelines and is inviting supporters to sign this letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting

Chiara De Biase, Director of Health Services, Equity & Improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, said:

“Unlike other cancers, prostate cancer won’t give you symptoms in its crucial early stages when it’s easier to treat, so as a charity we can’t tell you about tell-tale signs to look out for. That’s why we do everything we can to make every man aware of his risk of getting the disease and empower him to think about his testing options — so that he has the best chance of getting that all-important earlier diagnosis. Because the earlier you find prostate cancer, the easier it is to treat.

“These new figures show that awareness is now growing across the UK, and we’re proud to have played our part in this alongside our supporters and the NHS. More men than ever are learning about their risk, speaking to their GP about the PSA blood test, and then taking the best next steps.

“At the moment, there’s no screening programme for prostate cancer, and not every man has a fair shot at getting diagnosed earlier. We face a dreadful North-South divide in the UK, where you’re more likely to get an incurable diagnosis in certain areas than others. Plus, men living in more deprived areas are less likely to get the treatments they need. Despite all this, GPs aren’t currently allowed to raise the issue of prostate cancer and testing, even with the men who have the highest risk of getting it — something we’re asking the Government to change right now.

“The good news is that the way prostate cancer is diagnosed is safer and more accurate than ever, and the first step is a simple blood test – not a ‘finger up the bum’. If you’re worried about prostate cancer, the easiest thing you can do right now is take Prostate Cancer UK’s quick online Risk Checker.”

Ian Phillipson, 66 from Burghill, Herefordshire, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in January 2024 after seeing Nick Owen speaking on BBC Midlands Today: 

“I don’t usually watch BBC Midlands Today – I’m often still working when the programme is on – but for some reason that day I turned it on and managed to catch Nick Owen on there talking about his prostate cancer diagnosis and the risks of the disease. I’m so thankful I did see it, because it encouraged me to go and ask my GP about a test.

“I had a couple of PSA blood tests, and the second one I had at the end of November 2023 indicated a high reading. After an MRI and a biopsy, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in January 2024. I couldn’t believe it – I hadn’t felt ill or had any reason to suspect I had cancer. If I hadn’t been watching the TV that day, I might not have got tested at all. 

“I started hormone therapy in March 2024, followed by radiotherapy. After my treatment I had another PSA blood test, and my readings are now undetectable. I’m in remission, back to my normal life and I’m confident in my recovery. 

“It sounds a bit melodramatic to say Nick Owen saved my life, but who knows if and when I would have found out I had prostate cancer if I hadn’t caught him on TV that evening. I’m grateful that he was so open about his situation, and I feel that he’s ‘passed the baton’ on to me. Like Nick, I want to encourage other men to take action; without him, I wouldn't have made the decision to have a PSA blood test. Please check your risk and think about getting tested.”

 

Remember: you’re at risk of getting prostate cancer if you’re a man over 50, or over 45 if you’re

Black or have a family history of the disease. Black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer have twice the risk of getting it, so if that’s you, Prostate Cancer UK recommends you talk to your GP about a regular PSA blood test.

If you’re concerned about prostate cancer, you can take Prostate Cancer UK’s quick and easy online Risk Checker to find out your own risk and what you can do about it.

 

References:

1. Rapid Cancer Registration Dataset, available at
https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-sets/rcrd
2. National Prostate Cancer Audit State of the Nation Report 2024, available at
https://www.npca.org.uk/reports/npca-state-of-the-nation-report-2024/ 
3. High risk localised/locally advanced prostate cancer refers to prostate cancers that have a high risk of spreading or have already spread to the area outside the prostate.

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