WORKING-CLASS MEN WITH PROSTATE CANCER LEFT BEHIND BY NHS
Working-class men with prostate cancer are being left behind by the NHS, new data suggests.
Deaths from the disease have fallen across England since 2016. However, improvements in wealthy areas are far outpacing those in more deprived parts of the country.
Experts said the data show why it was necessary to introduce screening for prostate cancer, so checks were proactively offered to all men at greatest risk.
Men in more affluent areas are more likely to be aware that they can ask their GPs for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests.
The Telegraph is campaigning for the introduction of targeted screening, so those most at risk, such as black men and those with a family history of disease, are offered the tests.
The UK National Screening Committee is considering the matter, having rejected the idea in the past because of concerns that PSA tests were too unreliable.
Many experts point to a growing body of evidence to support screening, with diagnoses backed by MRI scans to pinpoint cases that require treatment.
Black men are twice as likely to develop and die from prostate cancer, separate research shows, and are far more likely to live in deprived areas.
The figures from the Government’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) show that across the country, the number of deaths per 100,000 men has fallen from 47.72 to 43.68 between 2016/18 and 2021/23.
But the gap between rich and poor areas has widened, with 45.94 deaths per 100,000 men in the most deprived areas, against 42 per 100,000 in wealthy parts.
This gap of 3.94 points is more than twice the gap when the figures started being recorded.
Professor Nick James, of The Institute of Cancer Research in London, said: “With the current system as it is, middle-class men are far more likely to come forward to seek tests, and working-class men are far more likely to be left behind. This data shows the impact of that.
“There is a major inequalities issue here, which also reflects the fact that those from ethnic minorities, who have a higher risk of prostate cancer, are over-represented in deprived communities.”
David James, director of patient projects and influencing at Prostate Cancer Research, said: “Too often, it’s the most privileged men – those taught to push back against the system and claim what they’re entitled to – who have the best chance of surviving prostate cancer.
“Black men and those with a family history face the highest risks, yet under the current system, it’s men in the wealthiest areas who benefit most, not those most at risk. We need a targeted screening programme so that neither background nor postcode determines survival – so that all men have an equal chance of early diagnosis and survival.
“Without action, men in the most deprived communities will continue to be left behind.”
The local authorities with the highest prostate cancer mortality are among the most deprived, the new OHID figures show.
West Lindsey in Lincolnshire fares the worst, with 62.1 cases per 100,000, followed by Ashfield in Nottinghamshire with 59.3 cases per 100,000, and Dartford in Kent with 57.9 cases per 100,000.
The areas with the lowest mortality rates were Surrey Heath with 25.4 cases per 100,000, Barnet in north London with 26.7 cases per 100,000, and Three Rivers in Hertfordshire with 29 cases per 100,000.
Earlier this year, research published in BMJ Oncology showed men are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in certain parts of the country.
According to the study, patients in Devon and Cornwall fared worst of all, followed by Yorkshire, the North East and Cumbria.
Those in London had the best chance, along with Kent and Medway, Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Life chances should never be determined by where you live, that’s why we’re prioritising investment in areas with the greatest health needs.
“The UK National Screening Committee is also looking at prostate cancer screening as a priority, including reviewing the evidence for screening men with a family history of prostate cancer and other high-risk groups.
“Alongside this review, we’re getting on with improving cancer treatment and prevention – investing £16 million in trialling new detection approaches, and deploying cutting-edge technology to personalise medicine, catch sickness sooner, and save lives.”
2025-11-12T20:50:40Z
