DANGEROUS TREND
Prostate cancer cases are expected to double and deaths jump by 85% by 2040
Find out the symptoms of the most common cancer in men in Britain below
PROSTATE cancer cases are expected to double to nearly 3million by 2040 worldwide, a major commission shows.
Some 700,000 are expected to die with the disease every year by then, up 85 per cent from 375,000 in 2020, British researchers found.
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Rising life expectancies will lead to an “inevitable” uptick in cases, experts say.
Professor Nick James, of the The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We know this surge in cases is coming, so we need to start planning and take action now.
“Evidence-based interventions, such as improved early detection and education programmes, will help to save lives in the years to come.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, affecting more than 52,000 and killing 12,000 every year in Britain.
Read more on prostate cancer
The disease can be treated with radiotherapy or by surgery to remove the organ if caught early.
The Lancet Commission on prostate cancer looked at data from 185 countries to see how cases and deaths caused by the disease have changed over time.
The figures go back to 1975 for 31 countries, predicting cases will increase to 2.9million worldwide by 2040, up from 1.4million in 2020.
Cases are currently highest in northern and western Europe, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, North America and southern Africa.
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Death rates are highest in the Caribbean, middle Africa, southern Africa, western Africa, Polynesia and Melanesia.
The team predict the largest growth in cases and deaths will be seen in eastern Asia, South America and Eastern Europe over the next 16 years.
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What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
Symptoms of prostate cancer can include:
- Needing to pee more frequently, often during the night
- Needing to rush to the toilet
- Difficulty in starting to pee (hesitancy)
- Straining or taking a long time while peeing
- Weak flow
- Feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully
- Blood in urine or blood in semen
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They said health bosses need to act now to ensure the disease is picked up early so it can be treated and lives can be saved.
Professor James said: “With prostate cancer we cannot wait for people to feel ill and seek help.
“We must encourage testing in those who feel well but who have a high risk of the disease in order to catch lethal prostate cancer early.
“Pop-up clinics and mobile testing offer cost-effective solutions that combine health checks and education.”
He said a new NHS trial called The Man Van has helped spot nearly 100 cancer diagnoses in men “who might otherwise have only seen a doctor once their cancer has progressed”.
Professor James said: “By bringing a van with quick and easy testing straight to men at work and in the community we provided thousands of health checks.”
The 8 red flag signs of cancer no man should ignore
Blood in urine
If you have blood in your urine, you shouldn’t ignore it - this is a typical symptom of bladder cancer.
Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK, with over 20,500 Brits diagnosed each year.
Blood in poo
Blood on your poo or bleeding while sitting on the loo can be an early sign of colon, rectum or bowel cancer.
Bowel cancer is now the third most common cancer in the UK.
Around 43,000 Brits are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year, with 268,000 living with the disease today.
It is the UK’s second deadliest cancer, claiming 16,500 lives each year.
Change in bowel habits
The occasional bowel problem is normal and is nothing to worry about.
However, frequent bouts of diarrhoea and constipation may also indicate either bowel or rectal cancer.
Pain in tummy and indigestion
Experiencing tummy pain at the top of your stomach accompanied by lots of ingestion could indicate stomach cancer.
The disease affects about 7,300 people each year in the UK, and it leads to around 5,000 deaths.
Men are twice as likely as women to develop stomach cancer, and it is more common in older adults.
Unexplained weight loss
Maintaining a healthy weight as you age becomes more difficult, so you might consider weight loss a positive thing.
But sudden and unexplained weight loss can indicate a serious health problem, including almost any type of cancer.
Back pain
Some cancer symptoms, including an achy back, may not show until it has spread to other parts of your body, such as the bones of your spine.
For example, prostate cancer is especially prone to spread to the bones and may cause these symptoms within your hip bones and lower back.
Unusual lumps
As well as keeping an eye out for lumps anywhere on the body, men should look for unusual growths in the testicles, as this could be a sign of testicular cancer.
Testicular cancer is diagnosed around 2,300 times every year in the UK and is the 17th most common cancer in the country.
It affects younger men, but experts do not know exactly what causes it.
Persistent cough
A persistent cough can be a sign of lung cancer.
Lung cancer accounts for around 13 per cent of all new cases of the disease each year, and each day, around 130 people are told they have the illness.
It is the UK’s biggest killer, with more than 35,000 losing their lives every year.
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