Posted: 07 January 2025
Tagged: PCR News

New All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Prostate Cancer launched

07 January 2025 – A new All-Party Parliamentary Group on Prostate Cancer was officially launched in Westminster on Tuesday 17 December 2024 — an urgent and timely move as the country enters a key moment for the future of how the disease is diagnosed and treated.

The Group’s inaugural meeting at Portcullis House was chaired by Calvin Bailey MBE MP and facilitated by the UK’s two leading prostate cancer charities Prostate Cancer Research and Prostate Cancer UK, who are providing joint secretariat. The four officers for the group, Ben Obese-Jecty MP, Josh Babarinde MP, Clive Efford MP and Calvin Bailey (chair), were elected at the meeting on Tuesday by fellow MPs.  

The latest NHS data has made clear that cancer diagnoses in the UK have reached a new record high level, driven mainly by an increase in prostate cancers which rose by more than a quarter to 54,732 in 2022. These figures come at a time when the National Screening Committee is considering various proposals for prostate cancer screening, and the UK’s largest prostate cancer screening trial in 20 years, TRANSFORM, will begin recruiting participants this year. 

Calvin Bailey MBE MP addressed attendees at the meeting highlighting the step forward the APPG represents as for the first time parliamentarians have come together to focus on this issue in Westminster on a sustained basis. By working together the group’s aims are to provide a forum for MPs and peers to discuss issues impacting people with prostate cancer, and to advocate for improvements in policy on health inequalities, early diagnosis, treatment, care and survival for people with prostate cancer. 

Mr Bailey said: “I’m pleased to support this new group in Parliament, and join Prostate Cancer Research and Prostate Cancer UK in working together to bring greater attention to the issues men are facing around prostate cancer. 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, which rises to 1 in 4 for Black men. Our new APPG will provide a highly impactful, cross-party forum to support Parliamentary work towards equitable early diagnosis, treatment, care and survival.”

David James, Director of Patient Projects and Influencing at Prostate Cancer Research, said: “The formation of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Prostate Cancer is a crucial step towards improving early detection and care. With 2025 poised to be a defining year for screening, this APPG will push the UK National Screening Committee and the government to act on much-needed reforms. We’re proud to partner with Prostate Cancer UK and work alongside committed Parliamentarians to drive this vital initiative forward.”

Amy Rylance Assistant Director of Health Improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “How we diagnose, treat and care for men affected by prostate cancer is at a critical stage in the UK. Primary care guidelines are out of date and require changing to reflect the most recent evidence, unacceptable inequalities persist for Black men who are twice as likely to be diagnosed in their life-time and also twice as likely to die from the disease. These problems demand the full attention of the UK’s health care leaders. Through the APPG we can help make that happen.”

Pictured left to right: David James (PCR), Amy Rylance (PCUK), Calvin Bailey MP, Joseph Clift (PCR), Essie Mac Eyeson (PCUK) and Alfred Samuels (PCR).

For more information, please contact:

Luke Walton at: [email protected]

Joseph Clift at: [email protected]

Alternatively, email [email protected] or call 07984 325 001

About Prostate Cancer UK

Prostate Cancer UK is the largest men’s health charity in the UK, striving for a world where no man dies of prostate cancer.

The charity works to give every man the power to navigate the disease: by helping men understand their risk through our award-winning online risk checker; by providing them with trusted support and the information they need to make the right treatment choices for them; or by empowering them to make improvements for their path ahead, and for the paths of generations to come.

Prostate Cancer UK is the driving force in prostate cancer research in the UK. Investing millions into the best researchers in the world to unravel the complexity of the disease, the charity has improved how men are diagnosed through funding cutting-edge technology like more accurate MRI scans. The charity works to give men precise and personalised care with the right treatments at the right time, for the best chance of living the full life they want and spending more time with those they love.

Prostate Cancer UK also supports men living with and after prostate cancer, providing services like a Specialist Nurses helpline to give expert advice, and working with the NHS and its Clinical Champions to change the healthcare system so men are more involved in decisions and empowered to navigate prostate cancer.

About Prostate Cancer Research

Prostate Cancer Research is a patient-centric research and information provision charity, dedicated to improving and saving the lives of people with prostate cancer.

As well as working towards greater equity, access to and parity of care, the charity funds innovative research at world-leading institutions that are working towards breakthroughs in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer Research’s work includes research into tackling health inequities, improving current treatments and developing novel drugs. The charity also supports translational research to ensure any breakthroughs have a greater chance of reaching the patients who need them.

Over the past two years, Prostate Cancer Research has more than trebled its research, established the infopool, an educational website to support and empower patients, and launched Prostate Progress, the UK’s first patient-centric data platform powered by NHS data.

About prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.

More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year on average – that’s 143 men every day.

1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer.

Around 475,000 men are living with and after prostate cancer.

Every 45 minutes one man dies from prostate cancer – that’s more than 12,000 men every year.

The earlier you find prostate cancer, the easier it is to treat, and an earlier diagnosis could save your life.

Many men with early-stage prostate cancer don’t have or notice any symptoms, so it’s always best to know your risk, and what you can do about it, and not wait for symptoms.

Men are at higher risk if they are over 50, Black or have a father or brother who has had prostate cancer.

To help men check their risk in 30 seconds, Prostate Cancer UK have an online risk checker available here: prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker

Anyone with concerns about prostate cancer can:

Contact Prostate Cancer UK’s Specialist Nurses in confidence on 0800 074 8383, or via email, webchat or WhatsApp at prostatecanceruk.org/nurses

Access online and printed health information at prostatecanceruk.org/information

Speak to trained volunteers with experience of prostate cancer at prostatecanceruk.org/one-to-one

Access Prostate Cancer Research’s infopool, with easy to understand information on testing and diagnosis, treatment choices, living with side effects and a clinical trial finder at theinfopool.co.uk