Prostate cancer – tackling common perceptions to ensure early diagnosis

Posted: 16/08/2022

Each year, up to 100,000 men are suspected of having prostate cancer. Over 52,000 men are diagnosed, and 12,000 men die from the disease. It is the most common type of cancer in men; one in eight will get prostate cancer during their lifetime, and the risk is higher for men over 50, black men, or if there is a family history of the disease.

Prostate cancer is not always life threatening. In many cases, the earlier the diagnosis, the more likely it is to be cured.

Urinary problems are often assumed to be the main symptoms of prostate cancer. Advice about prostate cancer symptoms on the NHS website stresses that urinary problems, such as needing to urinate more frequently, often during the night, or needing to rush to the lavatory, are the most common signs suggestive of possible prostate cancer.

While the advice that a change in urinary symptoms could be a sign of prostate cancer is correct in some cases – on the basis that an enlarged prostate can put pressure on the bladder and cause a change in urinary routine or frequency – it should not be assumed by men that this is the first sign of early cancer.

In many cases of prostate cancer, the prostate will be smaller than a ‘normal’ prostate, and so there may be no urinary symptoms at all, or those urinary symptoms may come on after the cancer has been present for a long time. There is concern that there is now a perception among men that if ‘urinary’ symptoms are absent, they are clear of the disease.

Researchers at Cambridge University have argued in a recent paper in the journal BMC Medicine that this perception is one of the reasons why, despite an increased awareness around prostate cancer, survival rates have barely changed in the last 10 years. Many men – even those in the increased risk categories – do not speak to their GP about prostate cancer at an early stage if they do not have physical symptoms suggestive of cancer. This causes the disease to be diagnosed – in many cases – at a late stage, when outcomes are much less optimistic.

Arran Macleod, senior associate in the clinical negligence team at Penningtons Manches Cooper, comments: “I agree with the concerns that have been raised by the researchers in this paper. It is important to recognise that earlier diagnoses are associated with improved outcomes. Men need to be aware of other signs that could indicate prostate cancer, including blood in the urine or semen and erectile dysfunction. They also need to be aware that there may be no physical signs at all, but that the absence of physical signs does not mean absence of disease.

“Having been instructed by many men who have had a late diagnosis of their prostate cancer, and their families, I am very aware of the devastating impact that a late diagnosis can have. It is therefore very important for more men – particularly those in their mid to late 40s and early 50s - to speak with their GPs about prostate cancer as soon as possible. This way, if prostate cancer were to develop, there may be a greater chance of catching it at an earlier stage and having a better outcome.”

If you have any concerns that your prostate cancer has been diagnosed late, please do not hesitate to get in touch for some preliminary advice.

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