Awareness
Early Diagnosis
Early, “localised” PCa confined within the prostate causes no symptoms and can be cured. Early “locally advanced” PCa spreading just outside the prostate may also be curable in some cases, but late, locally advanced PCa and PCa that has spread elsewhere – “metastatic” – is not curable. At present in the UK only 49% of patients present with early PCa. The remaining 51% present with advanced disease – 16% metastatic – and these are the cases that contribute almost exclusively to our unacceptably high death rate.
Early diagnosis and treatment is also cost-effective. It has been estimated that the cost of long-term treatment of incurable PCa is £240,000/patient, from diagnosis of advanced PCa to ultimate death many years later!
PSA Tests
Our Prostate Cancer Support Group sets out to create awareness of this cancer by organising Prostate Awareness Events to give men the opportunity of having a prostate health assessment.
This is done through a simple blood test, known as a PSA test.
Most early prostate cancers do not have any symptoms, and so we encourage men to be aware of the risks of prostate cancer and to know their PSA.
Men over 50 are entitled to a free annual PSA Test. In this way men can keep a regular check on the health of their prostate.
