Men Being Over-treated For Prostate Cancer, Says Charity

The NHS is over-treating men for prostate cancer, a kindness says, pinch astir 5,000 a twelvemonth undergoing curen for cancers improbable ever to origin harm.

Around 1 successful 4 prostate cancers are truthful slow increasing that men tin opt for regular monitoring alternatively than treatment, specified arsenic room and radiotherapy, which tin origin side-effects specified arsenic incontinence and erectile dysfunction

Of nan 56,000 diagnosed successful nan UK each year, astir 6,500 men opt for this, but an study by Prostate Cancer UK said different 5,000 could benefit.

The kindness said outdated guidelines were to blame. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which produces them, said it was reviewing its advice.

NICE recommends that monitoring, utilizing humor tests and scans, should beryllium offered to nan lowest consequence cases, wherever 9 successful 10 will person nary signs of crab spreading wrong 5 years.

But investigation has suggested this could beryllium extended to nan adjacent lowest consequence group wherever 8 successful 10 men will person nary signs of crab spreading.

Evidence gathered by Prostate Cancer UK suggests galore hospitals person started offering monitoring to this wider group of patients, but a 4th person not.

According to nan charity's analysis:

• in immoderate hospitals successful England, 24% of patients who could beryllium monitored, alternatively acquisition treatment
• across nan UK, an mean of 8% of men who could beryllium monitored are treated instead, amounting to 5,000 a year

Some of this could beryllium down to diligent prime – men are mostly fixed nan action of curen moreover if they are astatine low-risk.

But nan kindness said if nan NHS was much progressive successful offering monitoring it could thief fortify nan lawsuit for prostate crab screening, which has gained traction since nan test of Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy.

One statement against screening is that nan prostate circumstantial antigen (PSA) humor test, utilized to spot imaginable signs of nan cancer, is unreliable and leads to unnecessary treatment.

Amy Rylance of Prostate Cancer UK, said: "To trim nan harm caused by prostate crab and build nan foundations for a screening programme, we request to some prevention lives and forestall unnecessary treatment."

One diligent who opted for monitoring was Michael Lewis, 63, from nan West Midlands.

He was diagnosed pinch prostate crab successful 2020 and, arsenic it was judged low-risk, he opted for monitoring.

Four years later tests suggested nan crab was worsening truthful he had his prostate removed. He said delaying curen was truthful valuable.

"I was capable to proceed my mundane life pinch nary broadside effects."

NICE said nan organisation was reviewing nan prostate crab guidelines and looking to update them.

"We are committed to ensuring our guidelines proceed to bespeak nan champion disposable grounds and springiness patients nan champion imaginable outcomes," said a spokesman.