Map reveals UK’s prostate cancer ‘postcode lottery’

Thousands of men across the UK are being diagnosed with prostate cancer too late due to a ‘postcode lottery’ of care, a charity has warned.

Prostate Cancer UK said the proportion of patients diagnosed with the disease when it is too advanced to treat varies significantly depending on where they live.

In Scotland, more than a third of men are only diagnosed when the disease is classed as stage 4 – which means the cancer is metastatic and spread to another part of the body.  

Meanwhile the figure for London is much lower, at just 12.5 per cent.

The charity analysed various sets of data to find out the proportion of patients diagnosed with metastatic cancer – which in most cases is too advanced to cure.

After Scotland, the North East of England and Yorkshire had the most men diagnosed at this stage, at around 20 per cent, closely followed by Northern Ireland and Wales.

Nearly 18 per cent of men in the Midlands are diagnosed too late, 17.1 per cent in the North West and 16.8 per cent in the South West.

After London, the East and South East had the lowest percentage of men diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer.

The data suggests men from deprived areas are at highest risk of being diagnosed at a later stage of the disease, the charity added.

While the figures are largely taken from information gathered before the pandemic, the charity suggested that outcomes for men are not likely to have improved during the ensuing period when the health services across England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland have been under significant pressure.

Every year nearly 10,000 men across the UK are diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer.

Laura Kerby, chief executive at Prostate Cancer UK, said: ‘This postcode lottery for cancer diagnosis simply isn’t fair, and the picture in Scotland is particularly shocking.

‘Every man should get an equal chance of a cure, which is only possible if his cancer is caught early.

‘Unfortunately, early prostate cancer usually doesn’t have any symptoms, which is why men need to be aware of their risk and should take our online risk checker to find out more.

‘If you’re at higher risk – which includes all men over 50 – you’re entitled to a free PSA blood test from your GP.

‘Because of their higher risk, we strongly recommend that black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer should speak to their GP from the age of 45.’

The charity has also raised concerns about fewer patients being diagnosed during the pandemic.

‘At one point in the pandemic, prostate cancer made up a third of all missing cancer cases, so it’s fantastic to see that we’re beginning to find and treat these men,’ Ms Kerby added.

‘However, there is still a long way to go to fully reverse the impact of the pandemic, and as these figures show our job isn’t done even then.

‘That’s why we need a screening programme for prostate cancer, and we are committed to funding the research to make this a reality and save thousands of men’s lives.’

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