Have we finally reached a turning point on prostate cancer screening?

Over the last 12 months, prostate cancer has captured people's attention like never before - with high-profile celebrities like Sir Chris Hoy stepping forward to share their diagnosis and incredible partners like Omaze and Paddy Power joining forces with us to help save men's lives.

Together we've made big progress in getting more men diagnosed early, shaping a faster and fairer health system, and giving men more time to do the things they enjoy with the people who matter most to them.

Our brand new Impact Report sets out what we've achieved together in the last year. It's the story of your support.

Why don’t we have a screening programme for prostate cancer already?

'Knowing my risk turned out to be a lifesaver'

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. But despite this, there's still no screening programme inviting men for regular tests to help find it early. And that means there are still far too many men being diagnosed when it's too late. But thanks to your support this year, we're leading the way towards a better future for men.

After his twin brother Pete was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer, Dave Cossie knew their Caribbean heritage and family history of the disease meant he was at higher risk. He got checked - and because he found his cancer early, he had treatment options. Thanks to your support, more men like Dave are finding prostate cancer early.

1.5 million more men have taken our quick and easy online Risk Checker

That’s more than we’ve ever seen in a single year. And we’ve continued to raise awareness among men at greatest risk. As a result, hundreds of thousands more men have found out they’re at higher risk and been empowered to talk to their GP about having a PSA blood test.

As well as raising awareness, we also need to improve the way we diagnose the disease. That’s where the research we fund comes in.

Speeding up diagnosis and paving the way to a screening programme

Research like the PRIME trial, which has showed that a streamlined MRI scan can be just as effective at finding prostate cancer as the current gold standard – and faster. Taking around a third less time, the new scans could bring down waiting times for men and make MRI scans cheaper and more readily available.

The faster scans will be tested as part of our £42 million TRANSFORM trial to help find the best way to diagnose prostate cancer. TRANSFORM will pave the way to a national screening programme where men are invited for regular accurate tests to find prostate cancer early.

How soon could we have prostate cancer screening?

Pushing ministers to take urgent action on prostate cancer

We know some men are at higher risk than others - and our health system is letting them down. That's why, through our Faster Fairer Better campaign, we're using our growing influence to make sure every man gets the best possible treatment, care and support.

We want to see the Government take urgent action, including changing outdated NHS guidelines to empower GPs to talk about prostate cancer with Black men and men who have a family history of prostate cancer from the younger age of 45. As a result of our campaigning:

• Around 10,000 people – including champion boxer Daniel Dubois and former footballer Les Ferdinand – have signed our letter to Health Secretary, Wes Streeting

• Two thirds of MPs who responded to survey now say they support our Faster Fairer Better campaign

• 17,400 men have benefited from innovations in care driven by change-making health professionals as part of our Clinical Champions programme

'We're hopeful the treatment will mean we can enjoy more quality time together'

In February 2023, John Flanagan was diagnosed with advanced, aggressive prostate cancer. As his cancer spread up his spine, John's hormone therapy stopped working. He became virtually immobile, taking strong medication to manage his pain. But since then, a mix of other treatments has completely eliminated the pain and restored his mobility.

Thanks to your support, we're funding research to pioneer new and better treatments that will give men with advanced prostate cancer, just like John, more time with their loved ones.

Today we have 60 active research projects – including the TRAP trial - which has shown that a type of targeted radiotherapy, alongside hormone therapy, could offer precious extra time for men with advanced prostate cancer.

Men who took part in the trial gained an average of six extra months in which their cancer didn't progress. And for over 40 per cent of the men, their cancer showed no progression at all after a year.

Prostate cancer screening would give men the best chance of an early diagnosis

With your help, we've been there to support thousands of men and their loved ones as they navigate prostate cancer. That includes:

• Our One-to-One Peer Support volunteers, who've made over 500 calls to support others who are going through a similar experience

• Expert nurses with our Sexual Support Service, who provided support to men on more than 600 occasions

• And our Specialist Nurses, who were there to talk more than 14,000 times.

After having surgery to remove his prostate, Rupert recovered. But his PSA levels continued to rise and further scans revealed his cancer had spread to his spine.

Today Rupert knows his prostate cancer is incurable, and his ongoing treatment is about giving himself as much time as possible.

For men like Rupert, a screening programme could be a lifesaver – making sure they’re invited for routine tests and giving them the best chance of an early diagnosis.

How did we get here? The key moments on our path to prostate cancer screening

Together with thousands of researchers, campaigners and supporters, we’ve been the driving force behind major improvements in the way we diagnose prostate cancer over the last 20 years – critical developments that have made testing safer and more accurate for men.

Here are the key moments that have pushed us ever closer to prostate cancer screening.

• Ruling out unnecessary biopsies (2017)

Findings from two research projects we funded in 2009 and 2010 lead to a large clinical trial called PROMIS, which shows that having an MRI scan first could safely rule out many men from having biopsies they don’t need – a major innovation in testing.

• Making sure every man knows his risk (2021)

Pandemic restrictions trigger a drop in routine GP visits, so we launch our online Risk Checker and a nationwide awareness campaign to make sure men know their risk and what to do next.

• Putting forward the case for screening (2022)

After reviewing the latest evidence, we conclude that screening would benefit men at highest risk of prostate cancer and make our case to the UK National Screening Committee.

• Launching our TRANSFORM trial (2023)

We unveil the biggest prostate cancer screening trial for 20 years, aiming to find the best way to screen men for the disease and deliver the vital remaining evidence for a screening programme.

• Proving safer and more accurate diagnosis (2024)

Our analysis shows the potential harms of testing have been reduced by a massive 79 per cent, thanks to innovations like MRI scanning and new biopsy techniques – proving how much safer diagnosing prostate cancer has become.

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