Actors Stephen Fry and Colin McFarlane urge half a million men to join “genuinely hopeful” prostate cancer research

Actors Sir Stephen Fry and Colin McFarlane are backing Prostate Progress, a major NHS-supported scheme led by the charity Prostate Cancer Research urging half a million men to sign up for research to improve early detection and treatment of prostate cancer.

From this month, around 500,000 men who have had or are living with prostate cancer will be invited to join what could become one of the world’s largest prostate cancer research programmes.

Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK, with around 60,000 new cases diagnosed every year and over 12,000 deaths annually. Despite this, researchers still lack access to large-scale and long-term patient data needed to answer some of the biggest questions about diagnosis, treatment and quality of life.

Led by Prostate Cancer Research and supported by the NHS DigiTrials recruitment service, Prostate Progress, is designed to speed up the development of better tests, treatments and care.

Eligible men will soon receive letters and text messages explaining how they can register to take part, but anyone living with a diagnosis of prostate cancer is eligible and can sign up at any time at www.ProstateProgress.org. You can also learn more about Prostate Progress at www.pcr.org.uk/prostate-progress.

Sir Stephen Fry, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018, has described the initiative as “genuinely hopeful” with the potential for “enormous collective good.”

The programme is particularly keen to hear from Black men, who are at approximately twice the risk of developing prostate cancer, with around one in four Black men in the UK expected to be diagnosed during their lifetime. Better representation will help researchers understand and address differences in diagnosis, treatment and outcomes.

Actor Colin McFarlane, who appeared in the Batman Begins and The Dark Knight films, is encouraging Black men to sign up, saying it will help “ourselves, our fathers, our sons, our brothers, our families and future generations.”

Men who join Prostate Progress will be asked to complete questionnaires about their experiences of living with the disease every few months as well as agreeing for their NHS records to be securely linked and used for approved research purposes.

Verified researchers will then be able compare men’s experiences of living with prostate cancer against their NHS records, including their symptoms and quality of life.

The aim is to help researchers gain unique insights into prostate cancer by combining the two sets of data to understand more about the disease, develop new treatments and tests to improve diagnosis, monitor the safety of treatments, and plan new NHS services.

“A prostate cancer diagnosis can knock you sideways and leave you feeling rather powerless – maybe even a little frightened.

“Yet Prostate Progress offers something genuinely hopeful: the chance to turn our individual experiences into knowledge that may help future generations of men live longer, healthier lives.

“It is a simple act, but one with the potential for enormous collective good. If you’ve experienced prostate cancer, I urge you to join me and thousands of others by signing up to Prostate Progress today.”

“Why are Black men twice as likely to develop prostate cancer? We still don’t know the full answer. Every research study that includes more Black men brings us a step closer to understanding why. That’s why initiatives like Prostate Progress are so important.

“Many Black people may understandably feel cautious about engaging with institutions, shaped by past experiences and a lack of trust. It is important that we recognise those concerns while also creating opportunities for Black men to help shape the future of prostate cancer care.

“Prostate Progress gives us an opportunity to do exactly that. If we’re missing from the data, we’re missing from the solutions. The answers we discover by including more Black men won’t just benefit the Black community they’ll help improve care for everyone.

“If you’re invited to take part, please say yes. This isn’t just about helping science. It’s about helping ourselves, our fathers, our sons, our brothers, our families and future generations. Together, we can help change the future of prostate cancer care. That’s a chance none of us should miss.”

“When I began my cancer journey, I was grateful for the options I had for treatment because of how early it was detected. I cannot suggest regular testing enough. If you’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer, please consider joining Prostate Progress. It only takes a few minutes to sign up, and your experience could help improve outcomes for thousands of men in the years ahead.”

“Half a million men is a huge number, but every one of them has a unique story that could help save another man’s life. An NHS record can tell us which scans and treatments a man received but only he can tell us what living through prostate cancer was really like. Prostate Progress will bring those two halves together at a scale never before possible, creating a world-leading prostate cancer research platform.

“By bringing together years of NHS records with men’s own experiences, we could understand why some cancers become aggressive, spot dangerous cancers earlier, inform future approaches to screening and match each man with the treatment most likely to help him. We have made huge advances in scans, genetics and treatments in recent years, but we have lacked the data to connect them. This could be the missing piece that turns those advances into longer, better lives.”

“Prostate cancer affects the lives of tens of thousands of men every year – and we’ve seen significant improvements to survival rates in recent decades thanks to ground-breaking research and clinical trials.

“We’re joining forces with the charity Prostate Cancer Research so we can continue to transform care and treatment through research by building a better understanding of the impact the disease has on men’s lives.

“We’ll be contacting over half a million men over the next few months who have or who have had prostate cancer, and I’d urge anyone who receives an invite to Prostate Progress to sign up.

“Joining Prostate Progress today will make a tremendous difference to the lives of men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the future.”

“Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK, and every piece of data we gather brings us closer to the tests and treatments that future patients will depend on to live well for longer. Prostate Progress has the potential to become a hugely important resource, but only if men come forward and share their experiences, so I encourage anyone who receives an invitation to sign up. This is the kind of innovation the government’s National Cancer Plan is designed to support, making the NHS a world-leading destination for cancer research and ensuring patients across the country can help shape the treatments of tomorrow.”

“I joined Prostate Progress because I want to help improve the future of prostate cancer diagnosis, treatment and research.

“Sharing my experiences of diagnosis and treatment is one way I can help researchers better understand what living with prostate cancer is really like. As a Black man living with prostate cancer, I know how important it is for more Black men to get involved in research like this.

“There is hope, and by taking part we can help improve outcomes for future generations and move closer to finding better treatments and ultimately a cure.”

For more information about Prostate Progress visit: www.pcr.org.uk/Prostate-Progress.

To join Prostate Progress, participants must have been born male, be aged 18 or over and have received a diagnosis of prostate cancer. Sign up at: www.ProstateProgress.org.

For PCR press enquiries, contact Jessica Farmery at [email protected].