Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. 1 in 8 men in England will get prostate cancer – and 1 in 4 Black men. They could be a dad, uncle, brother, partner, son, or best friend.
Thames Valley Cancer Alliance (TVCA) is working with Prostate Cancer UK to help find those men in the Thames Valley region, from the 140,000 throughout England[1], who have not started treatment for prostate cancer since the beginning of the pandemic.
More than 9,000 men will die from prostate cancer every year in England. Men who are aged 50+, or Black men aged 45+, whose fathers or brothers have had prostate cancer, or whose mothers or sisters have had breast cancer, are at increased risk.
But when diagnosed at its earliest stage, all (100%) people with prostate cancer will survive their disease for five years or more. This compares with around 1 in 2 (49%) people when the disease is diagnosed at the latest stage.
Trans women, non-binary people assigned male at birth, and intersex people with a prostate share the risk of having prostate cancer if they are aged 50+, or are Black and age 45+. Having close family relatives with a history of either prostate or breast cancers also increases the risk.
Everyone with a prostate can check your risk of prostate cancer in 30 seconds, using the Prostate Cancer UK on-line risk checker. This will indicate if you should see your GP, who may do a PSA blood test to detect prostate cancer.
“Prostate cancer is the most common UK male cancer, but is very treatable if caught early,” said Dr Anant Sachdev, a GP and the Prevention and Diagnosis Clinical Lead at TVCA. “It’s important for men to know their risk because early prostate cancer often has no symptoms.
“As prostate cancer can be treated successfully if diagnosed early enough, we encourage anyone who is at risk of prostate cancer to see their GP. Testing can lead to early diagnosis and treatment, or to reassurance that the person doesn’t have prostate cancer, but may need some other care.
“We particularly want to encourage Black men who are aged 45+ to come forward for testing as there is double the chance that they may develop prostate cancer.”
For more information
- learn more about risks and symptoms
- watch Dr Nazim Muhammad Darwesh explain the risks and symptoms of prostate cancer in Urdu
- watch Dr Nazim Muhammad Darwesh explain the risks and symptoms of prostate cancer in Pashto
- watch Idris Elba, Morgan Freeman, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Micheal Ward encourage Black men aged 45+ to get a PSA test, in Embarrassed, a film by Sir Steve McQueen
[1] Source: Prostate Cancer UK March 2022
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Issued: 8/3/2022
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