It's about time: Making an impact for men in 2024/25

A message from our CEO

Today, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. In fact, 1 in 8 of our dads, brothers, grandads and mates will be diagnosed with the disease.

Despite this, there’s no national 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.

This is our challenge. But thanks to your support this year, we’re leading the way towards a better future for men. It’s a future where early diagnosis will be the norm, giving men better treatment options. Where a faster, fairer health system will work for every man – regardless of race or postcode. Where men will have more time to do the things they love, with family and friends alongside them.       

But we can only get there with our extraordinary supporters by our side. And that’s what this Impact Report is all about: the difference we’re making together. 

This was a year in which prostate cancer cut through the public consciousness like never before. High-profile celebrities like Sir Chris Hoy came forward to share their diagnosis, talk publicly about the disease and bang the drum for risk awareness. 

And we spearheaded transformative partnerships with the likes of Omaze, M&S, Paddy Power and the MOBO Awards to reach record numbers of men with our lifesaving message. All while continuing to be the biggest funder of prostate cancer research in the UK, investing in cutting-edge science and innovation to transform men’s health. 

So I’d like to say a sincere thank you for standing with us this year and helping us move closer to a world where no man dies of prostate cancer.

Driving early detection

Helping more men find prostate cancer early

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. So he decided to get checked too. 

Crucially, Dave found his cancer early, which meant he had treatment options. He chose surgery – and two years later, he’s doing well.

There are men like Dave and Pete all over the UK. But thanks to your support, more of them are finding prostate cancer early – partly because there’s greater awareness than ever.

In the last 12 months, 1.5 million men have taken our quick and easy online Risk Checker – more than we’ve ever seen in a single year. And we’ve continued to raise awareness among men at highest risk – particularly targeting Black men and men in Scotland, Wales, the South West, the North West and the Midlands.

As a result, hundreds of thousands more men have found out they’re at higher risk because of their age, ethnicity or family history of the disease – and feel empowered to talk to their GP about having a PSA blood test. 

HELP US SHARE THE RISK CHECKER

Speeding up diagnosis with quicker MRI scans

Raising awareness is having a big impact in driving early detection. But it’s only part of the solution. We also need to improve the way we diagnose the disease. 

That’s where funding research comes in – research like the PRIME trial, which has shown that a streamlined MRI scan can be just as effective at finding prostate cancer as the current gold standard. And faster - the new scans take around a third less time than the traditional multi-parametric MRI, and could significantly reduce waiting times for men. 

The findings of this research, which was generously supported by The John Black Charitable Foundation, will also make MRI scans cheaper and more readily available. These quicker scans will now be tested as part of our TRANSFORM trial. 

Paving the way to a screening programme

Right now, there’s no national screening programme inviting men for regular, accurate tests. And it means there are sadly too many men like Pete who are diagnosed when it’s too late for a cure. 

That’s why our £42 million TRANSFORM trial is so important. It’s our best chance of helping men get a lifesaving early diagnosis. Led by six of the world’s top experts, it will help us find the best way to diagnose prostate cancer – paving the way to a national screening programme. Recruitment gets under way later this year.   

Shaping a health system that's fit for the future

Faster, fairer, better: a system that works for every man

Although some men are at higher risk than others, our health system is letting them down. So we’re using our growing influence to make sure every man gets the best possible treatment, care and support with our Faster Fairer Better campaign. 

We want to see the Government take urgent action to speed up diagnosis and tackle shocking inequities that are putting Black men’s lives at risk. At the heart of this is our call to change outdated NHS guidelines, which would empower GPs to talk about prostate cancer to Black men – and others at highest risk – from the younger age of 45. 

Around 10,000 people – including champion boxer Daniel Dubois and former footballer Les Ferdinand – signed our open letter to the Health Secretary Wes Streeting this year, with a group of MPs joining forces to back our urgent call for action in Parliament too.  And two thirds of MPs surveyed say they now support our Faster Fairer Better campaign.

Empowering health professionals to provide better care for men

With the NHS under pressure, prostate cancer services must be able to adapt and improve to meet men’s needs. And that’s where our clinical education and improvement programmes are having a big impact.  

Thanks to you, more than 17,000 men have benefited from on-the-ground innovations in care driven by health professionals we’ve supported as part of our Clinical Champions programme. 

One of these success stories was at the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, where men who’ve had surgery to remove their prostate were taught by staff to take out their own catheters at home. This has empowered men and reduced the need to attend clinics, freeing up extra time for staff to carry out potentially lifesaving prostate removal surgeries. 

Giving men more time

Pioneering new and better forms of treatment

In years to come, a screening programme will drive early diagnosis of prostate cancer – and save thousands more lives every year.

But there are still too many men being diagnosed too late. And that’s why we’re continuing to invest in research – to pioneer new and better forms of treatment that will give men with advanced prostate cancer more time with their loved ones. Like John, and his wife Sharon. 

After watching a documentary about broadcaster Bill Turnbull’s prostate cancer story, John asked his GP for a PSA blood test. This decision proved to be a lifesaver, because in February 2023, John 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 every two hours to manage his pain. But since then, a mix of other treatments has completely eliminated the pain and restored his mobility.

Giving men more time, thanks to groundbreaking research

Thanks to your support, we’re funding a wide range of research to drive forward better treatments and help more people like John and Sharon. 

As of July 2025, we have 60 active research projects – projects like the TRAP trial, which has shown targeted radiotherapy could offer precious extra time for men with advanced prostate cancer. Before they need chemotherapy.

In the trial, researchers used a precise technique called stereotactic body radiotherapy alongside hormone therapy to treat men whose cancer had begun to grow after previous hormone therapy treatment. The additional radiotherapy targets the tumours that have become resistant, boosting the treatment’s effectiveness. 

The results have been impressive. Men who took part in the trial gained an average of six extra months before their cancer progressed again, with over 40 per cent showing no progression at all after a year. We’re now funding the larger STAR-TRAP trial, which could lead to better treatment for men with advanced prostate cancer nationwide. 

Support for men and their families - right here, right now

Alongside the latest research breakthroughs, our support and information services were vital this year for men and their families whose lives have been touched by prostate cancer.

Our Specialist Nurses were on hand to listen and answer questions more than 14,000 times. Meanwhile, volunteers with our One-to-One Peer Support Service – generously supported by ICAP and The IMP Trust – enabled hundreds of people to connect with others who’ve been through a similar experience. 

On top of this our online health information resources were viewed more than 1.2 million times. And hundreds of thousands of men received our printed health information to read at home.

Our priorities for 2025/26

With your support, we've already made a big impact for men - but if we want to move closer to a world where no man dies of prostate cancer, there's still so much more we need to do. Take a glance at our key priorities for 2025/26.

Campaign for an early detection programme to make diagnosis faster and fairer for men

In recent years we’ve been the driving force behind major improvements in the way prostate cancer is diagnosed, making testing safer and more accurate than ever before. And soon, a committee of independent experts will decide if the balance has finally tipped in favour of having a screening programme. 

But we can’t stand still and wait for the decision. So we're calling on the Government to act now on early detection. 

That means changing the rules that prevent GPs proactively speaking to men about prostate cancer, replacing confusing health information with our quick and easy online Risk Checker, and funding awareness campaigns to make sure every man knows his risk. 

Break down shocking inequalities and reach more Black men with our lifesaving message

We know the statistics all too well. Black men face double the risk of prostate cancer compared to other men - and they're also more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage, when it's harder to treat.

This year we'll step up our efforts to break down these inequalities by pushing for changes to GP guidance and striving to reach even more Black men with our vital risk awareness message. 

Drive forward our TRANSFORM research trial to deliver the vital evidence for screening

TRANSFORM is the most ambitious prostate cancer screening trial ever - and could help us save thousands of lives every year. With the continued support of our TRANSFORM Founding Partners and many other generous supporters, we'll take big strides forward this year, with trial sites readied across the UK and the first men receiving letters inviting them to take part.

A huge thank you

We're so grateful for the incredible collaboration and generosity of our many partners, funders and supporters – together we’ve reached millions of men and are charging towards the future we all want to see. For our dads, brothers, grandads and mates. And for people like Dave, Pete, John, Sharon, Melissa and Allan.