The Pioneers Update 2023
Introducing Doris Olulode, our Chair
As the new Chair of the Prostate Cancer UK Board of Trustees, it is my great pleasure to introduce both myself and the latest Pioneers’ update.
Since I joined the charity, I have been inspired and delighted to see how our work is bringing us closer to a future where we can save and improve the lives of men with prostate cancer. The stories in this update make this progress abundantly clear.
My own personal experience with the disease, which has affected members of my family, has shown me the importance of awareness raising, encouraging men to understand their risk and to look after their health.
That is why I am thrilled to share that more than one million people have now checked their risk of prostate cancer, thanks to our campaign with NHS England. The message was shared far and wide across prime-time TV, radio, and newspapers, and boosted by politicians and celebrities. You can read more on this below.
As Chair, I am driven to ensure that the charity continues to support the people and families affected by the most common cancer in men. I know that you share this determination, so thank you so much for everything you do as our Pioneers to help find better tests and life-saving treatments for men affected by prostate cancer.
Doris Olulode
Chair, Prostate Cancer UK
More than one million check their risk of prostate cancer – and 1,800 extra men start treatment – thanks to you
When the COVID pandemic hit, the sharp fall in cancer referrals was deeply worrying. Prostate cancer was the worst affected, accounting for more than a third of the UK’s missed diagnoses.
NHS England data showed that, as a result of the pandemic, there were around 14,000 men in the UK living with undiagnosed prostate cancer.
That is why, in February 2022, we partnered with NHS England to deliver a first-of-its-kind national prostate cancer health and risk awareness campaign that encouraged men to take our 30-second online risk checker. Our risk checker can tell users if they are at an increased risk of developing prostate cancer and what to do next, by asking a few simple questions.
As a result of the campaign, an incredible 1.3 million people have now used it to find out their risk of prostate cancer.
Around 80% of those who used our tool found that they are at higher risk of prostate cancer due to their age, ethnicity, or family history. These men are now armed with the knowledge and tools they need to speak to their GP.
As a result, urgent referrals for urological cancers reached an all-time high in March, with almost 25,000 people checked in one month.
In addition, the number of men receiving treatment has surged by more than a quarter.
“The only reason I made the appointment with my GP was because I saw the campaign and used Prostate Cancer UK’s risk checker. Three months later, I had a successful prostatectomy, and I’m now doing well. I don’t know where I’d be without it, because I had no idea there was anything wrong with me.”
Tim Scane, 65, from Oxfordshire was diagnosed with fast-growing prostate cancer after seeing our campaign in February.
Director of Support & Influencing at Prostate Cancer UK, Chiara De Biase, said: “After two years of a steep and sustained fall in diagnoses of prostate cancer, it’s very encouraging that treatments are starting to bounce back. We want to say a massive thank you to the NHS teams who are caring for record numbers of men.
“Covid has cast a long shadow over prostate cancer care, and despite these record referrals we need men to keep coming forward so they can be found and treated while their cancer is still curable.”
Closing in on the origins of prostate cancer
In September, we moved a step closer to understanding how prostate cancer begins – and how to prevent it – after researchers found that even ‘normal’ cells in the prostate can encourage the condition to develop.
The research found that the whole prostate, including cells that appear otherwise normal, is different in men who eventually develop prostate cancer. In these men, cells throughout the whole prostate are primed and ready to develop the disease.
This finding could make it possible to identify which men are at greatest risk of prostate cancer, and design new treatments to prevent these men from developing it altogether.
It also suggests that, in men who already have the disease, it may be better to treat the whole prostate rather than only the areas in the prostate that have cancer.
The researchers compared the DNA of cancer cells and ‘normal’, non-cancerous cells, in samples from men with and without the disease.
Lead researcher Prof Daniel Brewer, from the University of East Anglia, said: “We found that ‘normal’ prostate cells in men who had prostate cancer had more mutations (changes in the DNA) than ‘normal’ prostate cells from men without prostate cancer.
“In other words, the whole prostate is primed and ready to develop prostate cancer driven by an as-yet unknown biological process.”
Dr Hayley Luxton, Senior Research Impact Manager at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “This new research shows for the first time how normal cells in the prostate can facilitate the growth and spread of prostate cancer.
“The researchers found that normal prostate cells in men with prostate cancer have specific genetic changes that make them act like a rich compost, providing the perfect environment for prostate cancer cells to grow and develop.
“These findings give us important new insights into the early development of prostate cancer, which might one day give us clues as to how to prevent it.”
New scanning technique reduces unnecessary biopsies by 90%
In August, we learnt that thousands of men could be spared pain and anxiety by a new MRI technique that could avoid 90 per cent of unnecessary biopsies.
Biopsies are the ‘gold standard’ in how we diagnose cancer. They enable doctors to study prostate cells under a microscope and say for certain whether a man has cancer or not. They’re absolutely necessary if we want to treat cancer and save lives.
But biopsies can also cause unintended side effects such as infections, and the wait for the biopsy and its results leads to significant anxiety for men.
That's why we want all men who have prostate cancer to have access to a safe, accurate biopsy – but also why we want men who don’t have prostate cancer to avoid having a biopsy altogether.
Thanks to you, that may soon be possible.
Results from a trial based at University College London showed that using a new type of scan – called VERDICT MRI – alongside standard imaging techniques was significantly better at identifying men who do not have prostate cancer. These men could safely avoid a biopsy altogether, reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies by 90 per cent.
VERDICT (Vascular, Extracellular, and Restricted Diffusion for Cytometry in Tumor) gives additional information about the prostate based on exactly where water molecules are and how they are behaving. This can give an indication of how 'normal' or 'abnormal' the cell structure within the prostate is – and aggressive prostate cancer is more likely to have very abnormal cell structures.
Existing MRI machines could perform a VERDICT scan with a software update as Professor Shonit Punwani, the lead investigator of INNOVATE, explains: “This new technique requires no new equipment – it can be done on MRI scanners already in use […] so would be relatively easy to roll out into clinical practice across the UK.”
“Our next step is to use VERDICT MRI in an even bigger study across multiple hospital sites. If successful, the trial should provide the evidence needed to change practice in the NHS in the near future.”
Professor Shonit Punwani, who led the research into VERDICT
The INNOVATE trial was funded as part of a Prostate Cancer UK and Movember scheme designed to take early-stage research and move it a significant step closer to clinical practice. Before our grant, VERDICT had been tested in only 8 men. Now, through this trial, it has been performed on more than 300 men.
Dr Matthew Hobbs, Director of Research at Prostate Cancer UK, added: “It’s rare to see such a big improvement on current practice, both in terms of accuracy and driving down harms caused by testing. These results are a massive leap forward for an exciting new test that could spare thousands of men each year unnecessary anxiety and pain.”
The development of new imaging techniques that could significantly improve prostate cancer diagnosis is a hot topic, and the focus of our upcoming flagship event, The Panel 2023. We would be delighted if you could join us this year to find out more about how we plan to transform the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Please see details below.
Did you know 1 in 4 of our research projects are funded through gifts in Wills?
This March we’re highlighting the importance of gifts in Wills, and how they’re vital in funding research to improve the lives of men.
Gifts in Wills fund 1 in 4 of our research projects and are the building blocks to our work at Prostate Cancer UK. They allow us to carry out groundbreaking research into better tests to diagnose men sooner.
Over the month we’ll be featuring David’s story as part of a marketing campaign. David was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016, and following his successful treatment decided to support us with a gift in his Will. You can read David’s full story online.
"I’ve got through it, and I’ve got the all clear now. But I don’t want men like my son to suffer like I did. After becoming involved with Prostate Cancer UK following my diagnosis, it felt only right to support them by leaving a gift in my Will. It means I can continue to stand for the thing I care most about – and fund vital research even when I’m gone."
David Frederick, diagnosed with prostate cancer in October 2016
Thank you to our Pioneers
Thank you to all our Pioneers for supporting our work.
For more information on any of aspect of our work, you can contact the Philanthropy team.
