Breast cancer charities show the way to success
PROSTATE cancer is the most common male cancer, with 47,000 British men diagnosed and 11,800 killed each year.
However, in the past 15 years it has received less than half the research money that breast cancer has, despite the diseases affecting roughly the same number of people.
The cancers receive roughly the same amount of research funding from the Government – about £10million each over the
Yesterday’s Daily Mail past decade – but breast charities have been far better at raising money, generating £31million in 2015/16 compared with prostate’s £15million. This is partly because breast cancer has been the subject of major campaigns for 25 years, with the iconic pink ribbon used since 1992.
Cancer Research UK’s annual womenonly Race for Life, launched in 1994, has also raised the profile of breast cancer, though the funds are spent on all cancers.
It was not until 2007 that Movember, the annual men’s cancer campaign, came to Britain. And 23 years after the first Race for Life, Prostate Cancer UK last year launched an annual March for Men.
The results of the funding difference is seen in research output – with 9,300 prostate papers globally last year, compared with 21,000 breast cancer papers.
Scientists believe this has led to a disparity in treatment, with drugs and diagnostics for prostate cancer trailing ten to 20 years behind those for breast cancer.
The biggest obstacle has been the lack of reliable tests. Scientists believe they are close to better genetic tests for prostate cancer, but widespread trials of these need funds. High-tech MRI scans have also been shown to be more accurate, but at £1million a machine and £315 a scan, 75 per cent of hospital trusts say they cannot afford it.