Four in ten prostate cancer cases diagnosed late

Male cancer charity Orchid has released a report highlighting the “worrying trend” in late prostate cancer diagnosis

The Report, ‘Prostate Cancer: Britain’s Growing Problem’ was published to coincide with Male Cancer Awareness Week (9-15 April).

It reveals that 37 per cent of prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in the late stages (stages 3 and 4) and that 42 per cent of prostate cancer patients saw their GP with symptoms twice or more before they were referred (with six per cent seen five or more times prior to referral).

The report also revealed that 23 per cent of all cancer cases are diagnosed through A&E, with the majority of these cases at late stage and that prostate cancer cases are set to rise dramatically over the next decade.

The problem with the current approach to prostate cancer diagnostics is pointed out in the report and the charity calls for a unified, efficient and effective testing programme for those at high risk and those with worrying symptoms.

“There is an urgent need for better tests to define how aggressive a prostate cancer is from the outset, building on diagnostic tests like MRI scans and new biopsy techniques which help to more accurately define the extent of the prostate cancer. This would enable us to counsel patients with more certainty whether the prostate cancer identified is suitable for active surveillance or requires urgent surgery and treatment” says Greg Shaw, consultant urological surgeon at University College London Hospitals.