Who we are
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We're changing what prostate cancer means for men, their families, and their communities - today and for the future.
Over the last 30 years, we’ve been working to help men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer live longer, better lives. We’re striving for a world where no man dies of prostate cancer, and we’ll work tirelessly to achieve it.
We've invested more than £130 million into prostate cancer research.
We've helped 5 million men understand their risk with our online risk checker.
We're leading the UK's biggest trial into prostate cancer screening, with more than 16,000 men taking part in TRANSFORM.
We've worked with the NHS and healthcare professionals to change access to better diagnosis and treatment.
Our story
Where it began
Turn back the clock to the early 1990s. Prostate cancer is misunderstood, overlooked and rarely talked about. There’s little scientific research. Treatment options are limited. And too many men face the challenge of navigating prostate cancer without the vital information and support they need.
In 1996, Professor Jonathan Waxman set out to change this. He founded the Prostate Cancer Charity – the UK’s first national organisation dedicated to prostate cancer. Its mission was clear:
invest in critical research
raise public and political awareness
improve the lives of men and families who are affected by this complex, life-threatening disease.
These ambitions took shape with just five members of staff, with a helpline housed in a small room at Hammersmith Hospital in west London.
A new chapter
When the Prostate Cancer Charity merged with Prostate Action in 2012, we became Prostate Cancer UK. Since then, we’ve grown in size, influence and impact. And today it’s our mission to give every man the power to navigate the disease.
Building a better future
From pioneering work into understand genetic risk, to world-leading studies into how we can diagnose prostate cancer earlier and more accurately, we've funded advances in science and technology that are changing lives.
Over the last 30 years, we've invested more than £130 million in research, driving breakthroughs in our understanding of prostate cancer, and transforming how we diagnose the disease and treat it. Now, we're leading the once-in-a-generation TRANSFORM trial to find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer, putting us on the path to saving thousands more men in the future.
We've also helped bring prostate cancer out of the shadows. Through determined campaigning, awareness raising and public engagement, we've encouraged millions of men to understand their risk and make an informed choice about their next steps. At the same time we’ve established our health information and support services as a source of strength for men and families whose lives have been touched by the disease; a reliable, trustworthy and compassionate place to listen, share and find a way forward.
None of this progress has happened alone. It’s been shaped by remarkable researchers, campaigners, volunteers, supporters and partners who share our determination to create a better future for men. Collaborative partnerships and the support of high-profile public figures have also helped us make prostate cancer part of the national conversation.
Today, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. But men no longer face it alone. Together, we'll keep pushing towards a world where no man dies of prostate cancer.
