Figures released today by Cancer Research UK show that a man's
lifetime risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer has trebled
over 25 years.
Dr Sarah Cant, Director of Policy and Campaigns at Prostate
Cancer UK, said the figures reinforced the need for the nation to
wake up to the growing impact of the disease:
"Although it is heartening that prostate cancer death rates
appear to have reduced over recent years, these stats reinforce our
concerns that the number of men being diagnosed with the disease is
rising at an alarming rate. With so many more men expected to be
living with the disease in the future, it is more urgent than ever
that prostate cancer is higher up the nation's health agenda so
that men can get the world class treatment and care they
deserve.
"Due to a significant legacy of underinvestment, men with
prostate cancer are still faced with diagnostic tests and
treatments which are decades behind where we need to be.
Significant variations in the quality of care also persist.
To change this, and deliver a better future for men, Prostate
Cancer UK has pledged to transform the landscape of men's health
once and for all. We are investing in an ambitious research
programme to find the answers for the future, improving the support
men receive now through the delivery of world class services, and
leading change in care. Through our recently launched Sledgehammer
Fund we are calling on everyone across the country to get
behind men and help us in this mission. Together we can crack
prostate cancer once and for all, because men deserve better."