FASTER. FAIRER. BETTER.

A new government presents an opportunity to improve the way we deliver cancer care in the UK. Working together we can save lives by diagnosing prostate cancer FASTER, FAIRER and ultimately, BETTER. 

Executive summary

• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the UK.
• Only half of prostate cancers are caught in the early stages, falling short of the NHS target of 75%.
• Black men face twice the risk of diagnosis and death from prostate cancer.
• Men from deprived areas are 29% more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer, which is harder to treat.
• While men have the option to request a PSA blood test, many face barriers to access.
• There are bottlenecks in the pathway due to MRI capacity issues, this is delaying diagnosis.
• Without a screening programme and often no symptoms in the early stages, detecting prostate cancer early enough requires proactive action.
• We've launched TRANSFORM, a £42 million trial to identify better ways to screen for prostate cancer. This will provide definitive evidence about how we should screen all men to find more aggressive prostate cancer in time for a cure.

The current system is failing men. It's unjust, it's unfair, and it's time to put an end to it. We need to make the system for diagnosing prostate cancer FASTER. FAIRER. BETTER.

FASTER.

Free and simple adjustments can be made to increase MRI capacity while delivering enhanced imaging quality and supporting better diagnosis.

Research funded by Prostate Cancer UK shows that diagnosing prostate cancer is far safer and more accurate since the introduction of MRI. And by making simple, free changes to the settings of existing MRI scanners (using a modified version of the PI-RADS v2.1 protocol and PI-QUAL scoring systems) the quality and speed of MRI scans that are vital to safely and accurately diagnose prostate cancer can be increased.

By implementing these free, simple adjustments, the number of scanners able to produce diagnostic quality images increased from 32% to 97% in the trial. Rolling this out as a guidance note via Cancer Alliances will significantly increase scanner availability, reducing bottlenecks in the pathway and ensuring men can be diagnosed faster and earlier.

FAIRER.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for men in the UK – 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed in their lifetime. Every year over 12,000 men die from this disease, making it the UK’s second biggest cancer killer in men. Not all men have the same risk of prostate cancer – but the current guidelines treat all men the same.

1 in 4 Black men will get prostate cancer and their risk increases from age 45. They have double the risk of dying from prostate cancer. Men with a family history of prostate cancer are two to four times more likely to be diagnosed. Men from socio-economically deprived areas are more likely to be diagnosed too late for a cure and are disproportionately impacted by prostate cancer compared to other men.

Family history, race and socio-economic status also overlap, which may increase the risk of late diagnosis and death for these men.

Outdated NHS guidance is putting lives at risk because GPs are told not to raise the subject with men unless they have symptoms, but the evidence shows that early-stage prostate cancer doesn’t usually cause symptoms. But the earlier you diagnose prostate cancer, the easier (and cheaper) it is to treat.

Proactively informing men who are at the highest risk of prostate cancer about PSA testing is likely to reduce prostate cancer deaths in the UK. To diagnose prostate cancer sooner, we must end the reliance on men needing to ask for tests.

BETTER.

The ground-breaking research trial, TRANSFORM, will deliver the gold-plated evidence needed to save the lives of thousands of men each year.

In 2024 Prostate Cancer UK launched TRANSFORM, a £42 million trial to identify better ways to screen for prostate cancer. This will provide definitive evidence about how we should screen all men to find more aggressive prostate cancer in time for a cure, improving the UK’s cancer care for the better.

In 2023, £16 million of funding through the NIHR and DHSC was awarded for this trial. By owning this commitment (at no new cost) the new Government can show continued the ambition to deliver the manifesto promise: “people should get the best that modern science can offer”.

Supporting this ground-breaking research trial will deliver the vital evidence needed to save the lives of thousands of men each year, can reduce workforce pressures within the NHS, contribute to UK-plc and make a global impact. The TRANSFORM trial is the key to unlocking better ways of diagnosing prostate cancer.

This is an opportunity for the new Government to show a commitment to earlier cancer diagnosis and saving men’s lives.