Too many men diagnosed late with prostate cancer – charity

One charity said that too many men had been diagnosed with prostate cancer after the spread of the disease.

A total of 42,975 people learned that they had the disease in England and Wales between April 2016 and March 2017, according to the National Prostate Cancer's fifth annual audit.

In England, the proportion of metastatic cancers at the time of diagnosis (meaning it had spread to a different part of the body) was 16%, as the numbers show.

This remains unchanged from 2015/16.

Heather Blake, director of support and influence at Prostate Cancer UK, said, "Unfortunately, too many men are still diagnosed with prostate cancer that has already spread, which is why greatly reduces their chances of survival.

"Consistent with NHS ambitions to diagnose more cancers at an early stage, we wish to see a significant reduction in the proportion of men diagnosed at an advanced stage."

The latest figures show that too many men have been diagnosed with prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, greatly reducing their chances of survival (Peter Byrne / PA )

The report also showed that in England, more men are diagnosed with locally advanced prostate cancer, when the disease is present in neighboring tissues or lymph nodes.

Nearly two in five men (39%) were diagnosed with locally advanced prostate cancer in 2016/17, up 35% from the previous year.

However, Prostate Cancer UK stated that it was "good to see" a reduction in the number of men at low risk of contracting the disease and who could be "over-treated" last year .

Only 4% of men with low-risk localized prostate cancer underwent surgery or radiation therapy, compared to 8% in 2015-2016, but more of them chose to monitor cancer, said the report.

The audit was conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons in partnership with NHS England and Wales.