Men urged to check their prostate cancer risk

Prostate Cancer UK wants to find men at the highest risk of prostate cancer by completing their 30-second prostate cancer risk checker and speaking to their GP.

Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. Around 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. Everyone connected to a man is at risk of being affected.

And prostate cancer doesn’t stop for Covid-19. Urgent referrals by GPs in England dropped by around 52,000 since the pandemic began. As a result, around 8,700 fewer men started treatment for prostate cancer in 2020 than in the previous year.

Unless these ‘missing men’ are found, they risk being diagnosed too late, when their cancer is incurable.

Unlike other cancers, early prostate cancer often has no symptoms, so as we approach one year of lockdown, Prostate Cancer UK is calling for those at the highest risk of the disease to speak to their GP. This includes

• Men over 50
• Black men over 45
• Men with a family history of the disease

If you’re unsure about your risk, Prostate Cancer UK has a simple and easy to use online tool to help you assess your risk and find out what steps you should take next.

The check only takes 30 seconds and can be completed at www.prostatecanceruk.org/riskcheck.

Anyone with concerns about prostate cancer can also contact Prostate Cancer UK’s Specialist Nurses on weekdays on 0800 074 8383 or online at www.prostatecanceruk.org.

If you’re experiencing symptoms, such as difficulty when urinating, you should speak to your GP to get it checked. For more information, visit www.nhs.uk/prostatecancer.