Men with prostate cancer are being diagnosed late because ‘GPs don’t take them seriously’

Men with prostate cancer are diagnosed late and suffer preventable deaths as they struggle to be taken seriously by doctors, damning numbers suggest.

They typically wait longer than other patients before seeking help for symptoms – and then have to visit their GP several times before getting a diagnosis.

According to the NHS National Cancer Patient Experience Survey, too many people are not sensitively told they have the disease or have difficulty contacting health professionals for support during treatment.

The poll of 59,352 patients shows that only one in three (35.1 percent) with prostate cancer saw their GP within three months of first thinking something was wrong, compared to 53.8 percent of those with breast cancer and 46 percent of all cancers.

While 70 percent of breast cancer patients only had to see a doctor once for a diagnosis, this fell to 46.1 percent of men with prostate cancer.

One in 20 men with prostate tumors came back five or more times before learning they had the disease, the data shows.

The Daily Mail has relaunched our ‘End Unnecessary Prostate Deaths’ campaign to improve the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.

Early diagnosis is key to survival, as only one-third of men live five years or more if the cancer has spread beyond the prostate.

The patient experience survey shows that only 70 percent of prostate cancer patients were “certainly” sensitively diagnosed, and only 78 percent “fully understood” what they were being told.

Both results were higher for patients with breast cancer.

Oliver Kemp, chief executive of Prostate Cancer Research, said: ‘Too many men have to fight to be taken seriously and tested for prostate cancer by their doctors, leading to late diagnoses and preventable deaths.

“Patients are often unaware that they are entitled to testing if they have symptoms and we hear many stories from doctors who are dismissive of patients who are found to have prostate cancer.

“Even once diagnosed, many men do not feel fully informed, which increases their fears and uncertainty.

“The high death rate from prostate cancer can only be tackled if we break the stigma around this terrible disease and make it easier for men to report concerns to their GP.”

He added, “It’s critical that doctors have empathy and understanding when talking someone through a cancer diagnosis.”

Most men with prostate cancer had to see their GP more than once before getting a diagnosis (File photo: A patient in a consultation)

The Daily Mail has been fighting for nearly 25 years to highlight prostate cancer, a disease that kills a man every 45 minutes in Britain.

More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with the disease each year — 1,000 a week — making it the second most common cancer in men and the second most common.

In 10,000 of these, the cancer is stage 4, meaning it has already spread.

An NHS spokesperson said: ‘In 2021, the 5,300 men with prostate cancer who completed our national survey rated their care experience at an 8.8 out of 10.

“It shows the commitment of NHS staff that they continue to use the insights from the research to improve the service they provide.

“A record number of people are being screened for cancer, including prostate cancer, and as always people should speak up if they have any concerns.”