LATE PROSTATE DIAGNOSIS KILLS THOUSANDS

THOUSANDS of men are dying of prostate cancer because they were diagnosed too late to receive a cure, a damning audit shows.

Some 58 per cent of cases of the cancer in England in 2016/17 – which affected 22,169 men – were only spotted when their cancer had spread outside the prostate and into other parts of the body. This is up from 53 per cent the year before.

Prostate cancer is easily treatable if it is diagnosed early and is still localised – but is usually terminal if it has spread extensively. Men diagnosed with stage four cancer have just a 22 per cent chance of surviving ten years, compared to a 98 per cent chance if they are diagnosed early, at stage one.

The audit shows 16 per cent of men were diagnosed at stage four, the latest stage, in 2016/17. Some 47,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK each year – and 11,600 die as a result.

Last year official figures revealed rising prostate cancer deaths saw it become a bigger killer than breast cancer for the first time. A major reason is the lack of a national screening programme for prostate cancer – or even a reliable test for the disease. Men are usually only diagnosed when symptoms appear.

The Daily Mail is campaigning to end needless prostate deaths through better treatments and earlier diagnosis.

Owen Sharp, of the Movember men’s health charity, called the figures – revealed yesterday in the National Prostate Cancer Audit – ‘incredibly disappointing’. He also stressed the need for more consistent diagnosis, better access to treatment, and improved support systems for men after a cancer diagnosis.