New All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Prostate Cancer launched
7 January 2025
New All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Prostate Cancer launched
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PCR in the News
Catch up on all of our latest press coverage and news.
Our Screening Campaign
Men who need prostate tests most ‘aren’t the ones getting them’
Britain’s “ad hoc” approach to prostate cancer means that the wrong people are being tested, oncologists have warned.
Up to a quarter of men in their fifties and sixties receive a prostate test each year, in what doctors say has become an informal mass testing system skewed towards the wealthy and educated.
Trial finds prostate cancer screening for over-50s would save thousands
Prostate cancer screening for all men aged over 50 would save thousands of lives in Britain, a trial has found.
A study involving 162,000 men in Europe found that offering regular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests reduced deaths by 13 per cent over two decades by helping to catch the disease early, when it is treatable.
Prostate cancer screening could prevent 1,500 deaths a year
Prostate cancer screening could prevent around 1,500 deaths a year in the UK, research suggests.
A European trial, one of the largest in history, found that tests cut the risk of dying from the disease by 13 per cent.
Researchers said the findings highlighted the need for a “targeted strategy for prostate cancer screening”, starting with those at greatest risk.
Prostate cancer screening slashes risk of dying from the disease by 13 per cent, major study reveals
Screening men for prostate cancer would save thousands of lives by slashing their risk of dying from the disease by 13 per cent, a major study reveals.
Testing led to a ‘sustained reduction’ in deaths over the 23-year follow-up period, with the benefits outweighing potential harms by even more than previously thought.
Researchers say their findings suggest a ‘targeted’ approach to prostate cancer screening could be adopted to reduce deaths while minimising excessive treatment.
Our campaign in the Telegraph
In July 2025, The Telegraph launched a campaign calling for the introduction of targeted screening for prostate cancer. This campaign supports the work of our Proactive For Your Prostate campaign and Prostate Progress, our patient-centric data platform.
Prostate cancer tests ‘safer and more accurate’ after medical advances
Advances in prostate cancer diagnosis have greatly reduced the risk of harm from unnecessary biopsies, a report has found.
Research has found that the proportion of men undergoing the tests, who then find out they do not have cancer, is being reduced dramatically thanks to advanced MRI techniques.
It means far fewer men are enduring needless biopsies, which can cause pain, bleeding, infection and urinary difficulties.
New prostate cancer exam opens door to screening
A new system to detect prostate cancer could help pave the way for the introduction of screening.
The model, introduced at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation trust, means men with suspected disease get a far more comprehensive assessment before undergoing scans.
Majority of British public back prostate screening
Nine in ten Britons want to see prostate cancer screening introduced, polling has found.
A survey of 2,000 adults found widespread problems with the current system, which relies on men to come forward and ask GPs for tests when they have concerns.
Prostate cancer patients to be fast-tracked on to drug trials
Men with prostate cancer could get access to life-saving trials within hours under a programme to speed up access to treatment.
Half a million cancer patients and survivors will be eligible to sign up for the platform, backed by the NHS, which links patient feedback with medical records in real time.
Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, said the programme was part of a “medical revolution” that would match men up to trials in a matter of hours, allowing more rapid treatment.
The proof that prostate screening benefits outweigh the risks
The benefits of targeted screening for prostate cancer vastly outweigh potential harms, new research shows.
The study – the first of its kind – found that the good outweighed the risks by seven to one.
Offering blood tests to men aged 45 to 70 with a family history of the disease resulted in seven “healthy years” for every year lost.
The Telegraph’s call for a screening programme for prostate cancer to save men’s lives
It would seem to make sense for men at the highest risk of prostate cancer to be proactively offered tests for the disease, just as invitations for bowel, cervical and breast cancer screening land on doorsteps across the country every day.
Except this does not happen, despite the fact that prostate cancer kills 12,000 men in this country every year.
Prostate cancer patients ignored five times before diagnosis
Men with prostate cancer are being turned away by GPs multiple times before they can get a diagnosis.
New data show almost 10,000 men a year are being diagnosed with the disease only after at least three visits to their GP.
They include thousands of men who were referred for the right tests only after they turned to their family doctor at least five times.
‘Too many men are dying from prostate cancer needlessly – earlier detection can save lives’
David James is director of patient projects and influencing at Prostate Cancer Research, a leading British charity advancing prostate cancer treatment
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer currently affecting men in the UK. Last year, more than 55,000 men were diagnosed in England (where we have the most recent data).
Leading figures back Telegraph’s campaign for prostate cancer screening
Rishi Sunak and Stephen Fry are among leading figures to throw their weight behind the Telegraph’s campaign for targeted screening for prostate cancer.
Men are not offered tests even if they have a family history of the disease, but the UK National Screening Committee is considering whether to recommend the rollout of testing.
This killer of men can no longer be ignored
Some 10,000 men a year are diagnosed with prostate cancer only after at least three visits to their GP. And every year, some 12,000 lives are cut short unnecessarily by the failure to treat this hidden menace before it has spread beyond the prostate gland.
So The Telegraph is proud to announce a new campaign calling for a targeted National Health Service screening programme for prostate cancer.
Testing for prostate cancer around the world. How does the NHS compare?
The global statistics are terrifying. Prostate cancer is the fourth most common cancer in all populations, the second most common cancer among men worldwide, and ranks first in Europe where a third of men who die from cancer will die because of prostate cancer.
It is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men in 112 countries and the leading cause of cancer death among men in 48 countries.
The PSA test for prostate cancer – everything you need to know
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men in England, with cases surging among both men and women by 25 per cent between 2019 and 2023 according to NHS data. It’s also the second deadliest form of the disease for men after lung cancer, killing one man every 45 minutes despite being highly curable if caught in time.
Yet there is still no formal screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK.
CEO of Prostate Cancer Research nominated for MBE
CEO of Prostate Cancer Research from Sussex made MBE in King’s Birthday Honours 2025
Prostate Cancer Research’s (PCR) chief executive Oliver Kemp was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to prostate cancer research.
Oliver Kemp said: “This is a huge personal honour, but it’s also a recognition of the incredible work and dedication of the whole Prostate Cancer Research team, our funded scientists, our valued supporters, and the patients and families we serve.
Launching our Socio-economic Impact of Prostate Cancer Screening Report
We launched our landmark Socio-economic Impact of Prostate Cancer Screening report at the House of Commons, as part of our #ProactiveForYourProstate campaign. The report concludes that early diagnosis of prostate cancer using new testing technologies could potentially yield a positive socio-economic benefit of over £200 million, driven by improved patient outcomes. We strongly believe it is crucial for the Government to take action now to prevent men from suffering from late diagnosis.
To read our report, click here.
Oscar-winning director, Sir Steve McQueen reveals to the Guardian that he paused filming Blitz for prostate cancer treatment following the launch of a landmark cost-benefit analysis report from the charity Prostate Cancer Research.
After the reveal of the landmark report at the House of Commons, McQueen stressed the importance of early detection and called for urgent action to implement a screening program to save lives and reduce undiagnosed cases.
English broadcaster and former footballer, Gary Lineker, says men should not be embarrassed about prostate cancer and calls for new NHS screening programme following the launch of a cost-benefit analysis report by the charity Prostate Cancer Research.
The report concludes that early diagnosis of prostate cancer using new testing technologies could potentially yield a positive socio-economic benefit of over £200 million, by catching cancer earlier, saving lives and reducing the cost of treatment.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting criticises health inequalities in the NHS at House of Commons event following cost-benefit analysis report findings by charity Prostate Cancer Research.
“It’s about addressing the needs of those who are systemically disadvantaged and ensuring that no matter a person’s background or family history, they receive the same chances for early diagnosis, effective treatment, and ultimately survival.”
The cost benefit analysis report argues that if the Government acts now, we could save over 19,000 years of life from a five-year screening programme if technology that already exists were to be approved and adopted.
Soho House founder Nick Jones has called for a national screening programme for prostate cancer. Jones, now 61, was diagnosed with the condition three years ago, thanks to private screening every six months, and owes his life to early detection.
Pressure has been building on health service decision-makers to take action on prostate cancer screening for some time. Jones is a trustee of the charity Prostate Cancer Research, which last year launched a landmark report making a strong economic case for wide-scale testing. The leading UK’s charity for prostate cancer presented their findings at the House of Commons in November.
Our campaign for a national screening programme
Our Director of Patient Projects and Influencing, David James, and prostate cancer patient Dee talk about prostate cancer screening with Anna Jones on Sky News Breakfast with Anna Jones
Watch our Director of Patient Projects and Influencing, David James, talking to Dr James Greenwood about prostate cancer signs and symptoms and the importance of screening to catch prostate cancer early
Sky News interview with Oliver Kemp, CEO of Prostate Cancer Research on the launch of our new campaign, Proactive for your Prostate, calling for a targeted prostate cancer screening programme.
Launching our Health Inequities Report
Our report on the health inequities faced by Black men in prostate cancer, including polling data from a survey of 2,000 Black adults in the UK. The report highlights four key areas of under-service including differences in care, testing, representation in research and support.
Read the report here.
Majority of black people think racism played role in failure to test for prostate cancer
According to a survey conducted by Prostate Cancer Research of 2,000 black adults in the UK, 24% of those who said that either they or a male loved one requested a PSA test in the past year did not have one. Asked why they were not able to access the test, 32% said it was because their GP either refused or said it was not necessary.
Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice), which says routine PSA testing “would generate too many false positives and false negatives … resulting in potential unnecessary and invasive tests and/or unnecessary treatment”.
Launching our Bone Metastasis Collaboration Fund
We teamed up with Breast Cancer Now to fund up to £600,000 of new research to tackle the spread of both cancers to the bones, known as bone metastasis.
Find out more here.
Major cancer charities team up for new research project
Prostate Cancer Research and Breast Cancer Now have joined forces to launch a new £600k funding call to help researchers tackle the spread of cancers to the bone – otherwise known as bone metastasis.
The initiative, known as the Bone Metastasis Collaboration Fund, will centre around uncovering why tumours spread to the bone in either prostate cancer or breast cancer.
Researchers will also be tasked with exploring the underlying mechanisms behind bone metastases for cancers generally.
Major funding boost aims to advance research on bone metastasis in breast and prostate cancers
Breast Cancer Now and Prostate Cancer Research have joined forces to fund up to £600,000 of new research to tackle the spread of both cancers to the bones, known as bone metastasis.
Nearly all types of cancer can spread to the bones, but both breast and prostate, as well as being the most common cancers in women and men in the UK, are more likely to spread to the bones than other cancers.
Real Talk saves lives
We were proud to launch our dynamic Real Talk campaign in September 2024, addressing the stark racial disparities faced by Black men with prostate cancer.
The Real Talk project was a collaboration between Prostate Cancer Research (PCR) and pharmaceutical company Ipsen Ltd. The amplification of the campaign has been partially funded by Ipsen Ltd.
Find out more about the bold campaign headed by Premier League footballer Clinton Morrison, actor Colin McFarlane, and comedian Aurie Styla here.
Black prostate cancer survivor didn’t take risk seriously as GP said he was ‘more likely to be hit by bus’ than die
Prostate cancer survivor Brian Quavar was told by his GP he was “more likely to be hit by a bus” than die after a diagnosis, so he didn’t take the heightened risk for Black men seriously.
Black men are twice as likely to develop the condition, but poor guidance from the doctor meant that the 61-year-old became “complacent” and declined to undergo further tests to interrogate symptoms of the disease when they first appeared in 2016.
Real conversation about prostate cancer isn’t happening, especially amongst Black men
THE Real Talk campaign launches today, by Prostate Cancer Research in collaboration with Ipsen UK, to encourage open conversations about Black men’s increased risk of prostate cancer.
New research shows that 69% of Black adults are unaware that Black men are at an increased risk of developing prostate cancer in their life time – the risk is 1 in 4 Black men compared to 1 in 8 white men.
Launching Prostate Progress
Stephen Fry urges prostate cancer patients to sign up for 'groundbreaking' data project which could improve treatment of the deadly disease
Actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry is urging prostate cancer patients to sign up for a major new research initiative that could save lives.
Back in March 2018 Stephen Fry made a shock announcement confirming he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Sharing a 12 minute video on his personal blog, he explained he has been missing from the public eye because he’s been fighting for his health.
Announcing new research
Tackling the health inequities faced by Black men in prostate cancer
Two universities in East of England involved in pioneering prostate cancer research
Prostate Cancer affects all men, but those who are black are twice as likely to develop and die from prostate cancer.
Now scientists are leading the way when it comes to understanding why that is with new research projects at the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex.
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