Between 2017 and 2019, around 55,300 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed each year in the UK. From 2022 to 2024, the disease caused 12,300 deaths, making it the second leading cause of cancer-related death among men, after lung cancer.
Research also shows that black men are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer, while men living in more deprived areas are more likely to die from it. Despite this, the condition is often treatable—about 80% of patients survive for more than ten years when the cancer is diagnosed early and treated appropriately.
This has led to growing calls for a national screening programme, similar to those used for breast and cervical cancer. The idea is that detecting more cases earlier would allow treatment to begin sooner, improving survival rates.
However, the issue remains controversial. Prostate cancer can behave unpredictably, and many experts argue that current screening methods are not yet reliable enough to justify the potential harms of treatment. These can include long-term side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction, as well as the broader risks associated with surgery and radiotherapy.