Thousands of men with prostate cancer are being left at increased risk of early death due to a scandalous postcode lottery.
To maximise survival chances, the NHS should diagnose the disease and start treatment within 62 days of a patient being referred by a doctor.
But hospitals in England met this target in only 67 per cent of cases in January, the latest month for which figures are available.
While some NHS trusts diagnosed and treated every prostate cancer patient on time, others failed to meet the target on a single occasion. NHS England says trusts should achieve the target 85 per cent of the time.
But 96 trusts failed to do this in January, according to official data. One hit it and 23 exceeded it.
This means 1,559 men started their first treatment late in one month alone, heightening their anxiety and potentially giving their tumour time to spread.
Of particular concern, 435 waited more than 104 days (almost four months) – the threshold that is supposed to trigger a clinical review.
Nine high-performing trusts achieved a rate of 95 per cent or higher, while eight trusts reported a rate of 33 per cent or lower.
Thousands of men with prostate cancer are being left at increased risk of early death due to a scandalous postcode lottery. Pictured: File photo
To maximise survival chances, the NHS should diagnose the disease and start treatment within 62 days of a patient being referred by a doctor. Pictured: The Mail’s campaign to end needless prostate deaths
The revelations come a day after a poll showed 94 per cent of GPs back the Mail’s campaign to introduce urgently a prostate cancer screening programme, initially targeted at high-risk men.
David James, from Prostate Cancer Research which wants screening from the age of 45, said: ‘The postcode lottery in diagnosis and care is unacceptable.
‘With cases on the rise, it’s deeply concerning that too many patients are waiting longer than the 62-day standard to be diagnosed and begin treatment.
‘Resources simply aren’t keeping pace with demand. We urgently need targeted investment in the workforce – especially specialist nurses – and in smarter, more efficient systems. That means embracing innovative technologies like AI-assisted MRI and automated triaging tools to speed up the diagnostic pathway and ensure every man receives timely, high-quality care, no matter where he lives.’
Chiara De Biase, from Prostate Cancer UK which also supports the Mail’s campaign, said: ‘This situation is deeply distressing for men and their loved ones and is further evidence of the postcode lottery impacting men with prostate cancer. We know that if you’re black or from a working class area, you’re more likely to get an incurable prostate cancer diagnosis and less likely to get the best treatments on the NHS.
‘We’re reaching breaking point, and it needs to be stopped now.’
Prostate Cancer Research suggests a screening scheme would lead to an extra 775 cases being diagnosed early each year among men aged 45 to 69 who are black, have a family history of the disease or have a genetic mutation.
Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed form of cancer in England with 55,033 cases identified in 2023 and around 10,200 dying each year. A biopsy can help determine whether a tumour is aggressive and fast-growing or mild and growing so slowly that it is unlikely to pose a risk to life.
Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed form of cancer in England with 55,033 cases identified in 2023 and around 10,200 dying each year. Pictured: File photo
Men with slow-growing tumours may never need surgery and can often be monitored through regular check-ups.
A Department for Health spokesman said: ‘It is unacceptable prostate cancer patients are waiting too long for diagnosis and treatment. Our National Cancer Plan will transform cancer care, making the UK a world leader in cancer survival by fighting the disease on all fronts.’
An NHS England spokesman said: ‘Some people are waiting too long and there is more to do to ensure all patients receive high-quality and timely care.’
‘Early test would have saved me from dying of this disease’
By Ryan Hooper
A screening programme would give men with prostate cancer a much greater chance of catching the disease before it spreads, a sufferer told the Mail.
Brian Milne, a retired financier from Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, was living a healthy life and had none of the symptoms typical of the disease – trouble going to the loo or blood in the urine.
His father John died with prostate cancer just over a decade earlier but Mr Milne took comfort in being told by a specialist the risk of him having it was slim.
The grandad-of-five said: ‘I was comforted to hear, ‘Don’t worry if you haven’t got any symptoms’.’
Brian Milne (pictured), a retired financier from Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, was living a healthy life and had none of the symptoms typical of the disease
But his world came crashing down eight years ago when he visited a walk-in clinic with what he believed was a urinary infection. It turned out to be stage four prostate cancer that had also spread to his bones. Mr Milne, 72, said: ‘If I had been tested when my father died, I would be just like any other guy – expecting to die of old age.
‘I might have had anything else but I would not have died of prostate cancer. But now I am. If recommended, I’d have taken the test.’
He is buoyed by the prospect of a national screening programme as he is ‘certain’ it would have caught his illness before it was too late.
Mr Milne added: ‘The side effect of being untreated is often unnecessary death – that doesn’t seem right for a civilised society. It is all about early diagnosis.’
But rather than being bitter about what might have been, he is positive the development in accurate blood testing is ‘an incredible step forward’, saying: ‘I am honestly over the moon.’
