‘At-risk’ men ‘unaware of prostate cancer signs’

MORE than a third of “at-risk” men in Wales are oblivious to the early signs of prostate cancer, a survey has revealed.

In a poll of men over the age of 50, a staggering 33% admitted they had no idea what to look out for, while 53% said they only had a “general understanding” of symptoms.

This is despite prostate cancer being the most common cancer for men in the UK, with around 2,500 new cases being diagnosed in the country each year, according to Public Health Wales.

Experts have urged men to educate themselves on symptoms and to check any with their GP.

Common warning signs of the illness include difficulty going to the bathroom and pain or discomfort when passing urine.

A sudden, urgent need to visit the toilet at night can also be an early indication of the disease.

Clinical oncologist Dr Jiri Kubes, a specialist in prostate cancers at the Proton Therapy Center in Prague, Czech Republic, who commissioned the research, said: “Men over the age of 50 should be keeping a close eye on the health of their prostate. For men with a family history of the disease, this should start even earlier.

“Prostate cancer is extremely common in men but the chances of surviving the disease if you catch it early enough are good.

“It’s therefore vital that men are aware of the early warning signs and are visiting their GPs as soon as they suspect something may be wrong. Often, prostate cancer can be present without any warning signs.”

Currently, there is no national screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK.

But 53% of men asked in Wales said introducing a national screening programme for the disease should be made a “priority” for NHS bosses, while a further 41% said it should be introduced in the future.

Hollywood actor Ben Stiller last year revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of 48 and backed calls to introduce a screening programme.

Tests for prostate cancer include a digital rectal examination and a PSA test which measures the levels of prostate-specific antigen in the blood.

There is currently no screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK because it has not been proved that the benefits would outweigh the risks, according to the NHS.

Routinely screening all men to check their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels is a controversial subject in the international medical community due to several reasons.

Firstly, PSA tests are unreliable and can suggest prostate cancer when no cancer exists – known as a false-positive result.

This means that many men often have invasive and sometimes painful biopsies for no reason.

Also, up to 15% of men with prostate cancer have normal PSA levels – a false-negative result – so many cases may be missed.

The NHS says more research is needed to determine whether a screening programme would provide men with more benefit than harm.

Heather Blake, director of support and influencing at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Early diagnosis of prostate cancer is vital to saving men’s lives.

“To ensure no man slips through the net, we urgently need a test which can be used as part of a routine national screening programme, particularly as men will often have no symptoms until the latter stages of the disease.

“Unfortunately, due to a number of factors, the current PSA blood test has the potential to cause more harm than benefit if used on its own for a screening programme, which is why investing in research to find a more suitable testing method is the top priority of our research strategy.

“In the meantime, we recommend that men over 50 – and men over 45 if they are black or have a family history of the disease – discuss the pros and cons of the PSA test with their GP so that they can decide if it’s right for them.

“Until there is a better test, a man’s awareness of his risk is his best defence against prostate cancer.”