The NHS will this week begin inviting half a million men to take part in a major new research programme aimed at improving the early detection and treatment of prostate cancer.
Men who have had, or are living with, prostate cancer will receive letters and text messages explaining how they can register for the scheme, known as Prostate Progress.
The programme is led by the charity Prostate Cancer Research, with support from the NHS’s DigiTrials recruitment service, and is intended to become one of the world’s largest prostate cancer research resources.
The initiative aims to recruit as many participants as possible to help researchers understand how prostate cancer is diagnosed and treated, as well as the side effects of treatment and its impact on men’s quality of life. Organisers hope the data gathered will shape future clinical trials and research.
Actors Sir Stephen Fry and Colin McFarlane, who have both been diagnosed with prostate cancer, are backing the scheme. Sir Stephen, diagnosed in 2018, said:
“A prostate cancer diagnosis can knock you sideways and leave you feeling rather powerless, maybe even a little frightened. Yet Prostate Progress offers something genuinely hopeful: the chance to turn our individual experiences into knowledge that may help future generations of men live longer, healthier lives. It is a simple act, but one with the potential for enormous collective good. If you’ve experienced prostate cancer, I urge you to join me and thousands of others by signing up to Prostate Progress today.”
The programme is particularly keen to hear from Black men, who are at approximately twice the risk of developing prostate cancer, with around one in four expected to be diagnosed during their lifetime. Colin McFarlane, known for his roles in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, said:
“Why are Black men twice as likely to develop prostate cancer? We still don’t know the full answer. Every research study that includes more Black men brings us a step closer to understanding why. That’s why initiatives like Prostate Progress are so important.” He added: “If you’re invited to take part, please say yes. This isn’t just about helping science. It’s about helping ourselves, our fathers, our sons, our brothers, our families and future generations.”
Men who join will be asked to complete regular questionnaires about their experiences of living with the disease, and to agree for their NHS records to be securely linked and used for approved research purposes. Verified researchers will then be able to compare men’s experiences against their NHS records, including symptoms and quality of life, to gain new insights into the disease and develop better tests, treatments and NHS services.
Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK, with around 60,000 new cases diagnosed and over 12,000 deaths each year. The initiative supports the government’s National Cancer Plan for England, which aims to make the NHS a leading destination for clinical trials.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer, said:
“We’ll be contacting over half a million men over the next few months who have or who have had prostate cancer, and I’d urge anyone who receives an invite to Prostate Progress to sign up. Joining Prostate Progress today will make a tremendous difference to the lives of men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the future.”
Health Minister James Frith said:
“Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK, and every piece of data we gather brings us closer to the tests and treatments that future patients will depend on to live well for longer.”
Junior Hashim, from Northampton, who joined an initial pilot of 5,000 recruits, said:
“I joined Prostate Progress because I want to help improve the future of prostate cancer diagnosis, treatment and research. As a Black man living with prostate cancer, I know how important it is for more Black men to get involved in research like this.”
Oliver Kemp MBE, chief executive of Prostate Cancer Research, said:
“Half a million men is a huge number, but every one of them has a unique story that could help save another man’s life. An NHS record can tell us which scans and treatments a man received, but only he can tell us what living through prostate cancer was really like.”
Further details on Prostate Progress are available through Prostate Cancer Research here: www.prostate-cancer-research.org.uk/prostate-progress/
