New All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Prostate Cancer launched
7 January 2025
New All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Prostate Cancer launched
Launching the infopool
In 2023, we launched our patient platform, the infopool.
PCR in the News
Catch up on all of our latest press coverage and news.
Rishi Sunak joins PCR as an ambassador
In February 2025, we were delighted to welcome Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as an ambassador for the charity, a role he will use to champion our Proactive for Your Prostate campaign to introduce a national screening programme for high-risk men. His depth of knowledge and experience in parliament will be invaluable in helping us get screening over the line. It is fantastic that our campaign for prostate cancer screening continues to receive cross-party support.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak has said he is “honoured” to become a prostate cancer charity ambassador.
He will support Prostate Cancer Research’s campaign to introduce a national screening programme for men at high risk of the disease.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak has said he is “honoured” to become an ambassador for a prostate cancer charity.
He will support Prostate Cancer Research’s campaign to introduce a national screening programme for men at high risk of the disease.
Launching our Socio-economic Impact of Prostate Cancer Screening Report
We launched our landmark Socio-economic Impact of Prostate Cancer Screening report at the House of Commons, as part of our #ProactiveForYourProstate campaign. The report concludes that early diagnosis of prostate cancer using new testing technologies could potentially yield a positive socio-economic benefit of over £200 million, driven by improved patient outcomes. We strongly believe it is crucial for the Government to take action now to prevent men from suffering from late diagnosis.
To read our report, click here.
Oscar-winning director, Sir Steve McQueen reveals to the Guardian that he paused filming Blitz for prostate cancer treatment following the launch of a landmark cost-benefit analysis report from the charity Prostate Cancer Research.
After the reveal of the landmark report at the House of Commons, McQueen stressed the importance of early detection and called for urgent action to implement a screening program to save lives and reduce undiagnosed cases.
English broadcaster and former footballer, Gary Lineker, says men should not be embarrassed about prostate cancer and calls for new NHS screening programme following the launch of a cost-benefit analysis report by the charity Prostate Cancer Research.
The report concludes that early diagnosis of prostate cancer using new testing technologies could potentially yield a positive socio-economic benefit of over £200 million, by catching cancer earlier, saving lives and reducing the cost of treatment.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting criticises health inequalities in the NHS at House of Commons event following cost-benefit analysis report findings by charity Prostate Cancer Research.
“It’s about addressing the needs of those who are systemically disadvantaged and ensuring that no matter a person’s background or family history, they receive the same chances for early diagnosis, effective treatment, and ultimately survival.”
The cost benefit analysis report argues that if the Government acts now, we could save over 19,000 years of life from a five-year screening programme if technology that already exists were to be approved and adopted.
Soho House founder Nick Jones has called for a national screening programme for prostate cancer. Jones, now 61, was diagnosed with the condition three years ago, thanks to private screening every six months, and owes his life to early detection.
Pressure has been building on health service decision-makers to take action on prostate cancer screening for some time. Jones is a trustee of the charity Prostate Cancer Research, which last year launched a landmark report making a strong economic case for wide-scale testing. The leading UK’s charity for prostate cancer presented their findings at the House of Commons in November.
Launching our Health Inequities Report
Our report on the health inequities faced by Black men in prostate cancer, including polling data from a survey of 2,000 Black adults in the UK. The report highlights four key areas of under-service including differences in care, testing, representation in research and support.
Read the report here.
Majority of black people think racism played role in failure to test for prostate cancer
According to a survey conducted by Prostate Cancer Research of 2,000 black adults in the UK, 24% of those who said that either they or a male loved one requested a PSA test in the past year did not have one. Asked why they were not able to access the test, 32% said it was because their GP either refused or said it was not necessary.
Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice), which says routine PSA testing “would generate too many false positives and false negatives … resulting in potential unnecessary and invasive tests and/or unnecessary treatment”.
Launching our Bone Metastasis Collaboration Fund
We teamed up with Breast Cancer Now to fund up to £600,000 of new research to tackle the spread of both cancers to the bones, known as bone metastasis.
Find out more here.
Major cancer charities team up for new research project
Prostate Cancer Research and Breast Cancer Now have joined forces to launch a new £600k funding call to help researchers tackle the spread of cancers to the bone – otherwise known as bone metastasis.
The initiative, known as the Bone Metastasis Collaboration Fund, will centre around uncovering why tumours spread to the bone in either prostate cancer or breast cancer.
Researchers will also be tasked with exploring the underlying mechanisms behind bone metastases for cancers generally.
Major funding boost aims to advance research on bone metastasis in breast and prostate cancers
Breast Cancer Now and Prostate Cancer Research have joined forces to fund up to £600,000 of new research to tackle the spread of both cancers to the bones, known as bone metastasis.
Nearly all types of cancer can spread to the bones, but both breast and prostate, as well as being the most common cancers in women and men in the UK, are more likely to spread to the bones than other cancers.
Real Talk saves lives
We were proud to launch our dynamic Real Talk campaign in September 2024, addressing the stark racial disparities faced by Black men with prostate cancer.
The Real Talk project was a collaboration between Prostate Cancer Research (PCR) and pharmaceutical company Ipsen Ltd. The amplification of the campaign has been partially funded by Ipsen Ltd.
Find out more about the bold campaign headed by Premier League footballer Clinton Morrison, actor Colin McFarlane, and comedian Aurie Styla here.
Black prostate cancer survivor didn’t take risk seriously as GP said he was ‘more likely to be hit by bus’ than die
Prostate cancer survivor Brian Quavar was told by his GP he was “more likely to be hit by a bus” than die after a diagnosis, so he didn’t take the heightened risk for Black men seriously.
Black men are twice as likely to develop the condition, but poor guidance from the doctor meant that the 61-year-old became “complacent” and declined to undergo further tests to interrogate symptoms of the disease when they first appeared in 2016.
Real conversation about prostate cancer isn’t happening, especially amongst Black men
THE Real Talk campaign launches today, by Prostate Cancer Research in collaboration with Ipsen UK, to encourage open conversations about Black men’s increased risk of prostate cancer.
New research shows that 69% of Black adults are unaware that Black men are at an increased risk of developing prostate cancer in their life time – the risk is 1 in 4 Black men compared to 1 in 8 white men.
Launching Prostate Progress
Stephen Fry urges prostate cancer patients to sign up for 'groundbreaking' data project which could improve treatment of the deadly disease
Actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry is urging prostate cancer patients to sign up for a major new research initiative that could save thousands of lives.
The NHS has partnered with Prostate Cancer Research to give scientists access to health data in a bid to transform patient care and treatment of the disease.
The charity’s Prostate Progress project is the first to be selected to take part in NHS England’s Data for Research and Development Programme.
Actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry is urging prostate cancer patients to sign up for a major new research initiative that could save lives.
Back in March 2018 Stephen Fry made a shock announcement confirming he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Sharing a 12 minute video on his personal blog, he explained he has been missing from the public eye because he’s been fighting for his health.
TV personality Stephen Fry is calling on prostate cancer patients to participate in a groundbreaking research endeavour that has the potential to save lives.
Stephen Fry shocked fans when he announced in March 2018 that he was suffering from prostate cancer, with him detailing his health struggle in an extended video shared on his personal blog, explaining his absence from the public eye due to his fight for his health.
Announcing ground-breaking new research
We have been funding ground-breaking new research to impact the lives of those affected by a prostate cancer diagnosis.
Dr Olugbenga Samuel Oyeniyi profiled in Nature about his PCR-funded project focused on delivering workshops to black men across the UK.
This project delves into the barriers faced by black men and the early diagnosis of prostate cancer and encourages men to seek help or advice early to reduce the number of late diagnoses.
Scientists have discovered genetic mutations that could help explain why Black men are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer than those of other ethnicities.
The findings could lead to a test to identify those at greatest risk of developing the disease, enhancing survival rates.
The Prostate Screening EpiSwitch is a new test that can pick up signs of prostate cancer by identifying abnormalities in gene activity.
Using this in combination with the PSA test, which scans for prostate-specific antigens in your blood, has been shown to dramatically improve detection by 94 percent in cases.
This test will help reduce unnecessary prostate biopsies and false negatives in men who have the disease. It will also help us identify markers of prostate cancer that may be specific to an ethnic group.
New research reveals that access body fat cells ‘talk to’ prostate cancer cells through signals.
These signals encourage prostate cancer cells to grow. Our scientists are investigating how these cell signals affect prostate cancer growth and it’s spread by comparing the signals from the cells of obese men to those of lighter men.
This research will allow us to identify existing drugs that can be repurposed to treat prostate cancer cells.
Daily Mail: Our Latest Campaign
Everyone facing a cancer diagnosis should have access to the same quality of treatment and care but currently this is not the case. A postcode lottery of cancer testing and diagnostic tools means that where you live can make a huge difference to your outcomes.
‘Postcode lottery’ in prostate cancer care costs thousands of lives a year as men in the north east of England are SIX TIMES more likely to receive a diagnosis after it has spread, charity warns
The charity said it was a ‘national tragedy’ that survival prospects for the most common cancer among men could come down to where they live. It estimates around 3,000 lives a year could be saved by reducing the disparities in late diagnosis – and called on more men to come forward to be tested.
DAILY MAIL COMMENT: A rallying cry to take on the silent killer
We reveal today that there is effectively a postcode lottery for men’s survival prospects, with many hospitals in the South far outperforming those in the North and the Midlands – a shameful imbalance in our health system which is responsible for an estimated 3,000 deaths a year.
Which is why our End The Needless Prostate Deaths campaign is supporting the call by Soho House founder Nick Jones in Saturday’s Mail for the NHS to offer all men over the age of 50 a free scan which can spot the cancer early.
#GiveMenMoreTime
In December 2022, we launched a campaign #GiveMenMoreTime to ensure men with advanced prostate cancer are not left behind when it comes to approving new drugs on the NHS in England and Wales.
Up to 12,000 men are dying from prostate cancer in England each year because they are denied groundbreaking drugs on the NHS, charities warn
Up to 12,000 men are dying from prostate cancer in England each year because they are denied groundbreaking drugs on the NHS, charities warn.
Three charities have united with actor Stephen Fry, who survived the disease, to call for precision treatments Olaparib and Pluvicto to be made available.
Olaparib is the world’s first genetically targeted drug to be proven safe and effective for advanced prostate cancer for men with the BRCA 1/2 mutation.
1 in 4 Black men will get prostate cancer, like I did. It’s time for government to make life-extending drug available.
I WAS diagnosed with prostate cancer back in 2021, and I know what it feels like to have your time threatened by a serious illness.
In 2020, I had a slightly raised PSA result and was told to keep an eye on it and come back again in 12 months.
A year later, I was getting a bit sore, having ridden a static bike in the gym for around six months, and I started having more trips to the toilet at night, as well as having more urgency when I needed to go.
Elton John lookalike to star in prostate cancer charity videos
Mr Bills is working with the charity Prostate Cancer Research in his role as Sir Elton in a series of online videos to highlight a new National Lottery-funded information website.
The website, called The Infopool, is run by the charity and contains details about prostate cancer, testing, treatment and clinical trials.
Announcing new research
Tackling the health inequities faced by Black men in prostate cancer
Two universities in East of England involved in pioneering prostate cancer research
Prostate Cancer affects all men, but those who are black are twice as likely to develop and die from prostate cancer.
Now scientists are leading the way when it comes to understanding why that is with new research projects at the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex.
Improving radiotherapy
Professor Bart Cornelissen and Dr Tiffany Chan appeared on BBC South Today to discuss their PCR-funded project combining radiotherapy with other drugs to improve patient outcomes.
Raising awareness of the increased risk of prostate cancer in Black men
We teamed up with cancer care provider GenesisCare and Linford Christie OBE, Olympian and Prostate Cancer Campaigner.
‘Knowing my cancer risk saved my life’: Wiltshire man warns others to be aware
A Wiltshire man who survived prostate cancer is warning other black men they are twice as likely as white men to develop the disease, and says his own awareness saved his life.
One in four black men diagnosed with prostate cancer – the 7 signs to watch out for
ONE in four black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime as under a quarter know they are at a higher risk, a survey has revealed.
Linford Christie in ‘shock’ over co-star Sarah Harding as he urges fans to discuss cancer
LINFORD CHRISTIE has opened up on his aim to encourage people to speak about cancer while urging fans to get health checks to catch the disease as early as possible.
Prostate cancer survivor & music therapist Alphonso Archer and PCR Head of Research Dr Naomi Elster spoke to 5 News as part of our work with GenesisCare and Linford Christie OBE to raise awareness of the increased risk of prostate cancer in black men.
A new blood test to detect cancer
PCR CEO, Oliver Kemp, appeared on Sky News to discuss a new blood test to detect 50 types of cancer being piloted by the NHS and what this will mean for prostate cancer patients
If you are a journalist and would like to get in touch about a potential story, please email info@pcr.org.uk.