Today Rishi Sunak shared a letter he has sent to health secretary Yvette Cooper. The letter was also signed by fellow Ex-PM David Cameron, Stephen Fry, Nick Jones, Steve McQueen, Colin McFarlane and Jeremy Clarkson.
The letter opens by stating that all this men are united in the belief that no man should die of a cancer that could have been caught in time. Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in men in the UK killing 12,000 every year which equates to one man every 45 minutes. The letter states this is often because for these men the cancer was caught too late for treatment to be successful.
Black men face a 1 in 4 lifetime risk, which the letter says is double that of the general population as will as an increased risk for those who’s dad or brother have had the decease.
The letter has been prompted by the decision, made earlier this year by the National Screening Committee to extend routine screening beyond men with a single variant risk and only after they’ve demonstrated an increased family history of that variant. The letter states that this group numbers just 1,500 men nationally.
The letter goes on to argue that MRI-diagnoses is now more accurate and safer now weakening the decision on the committee made in May.
250 MPs have joined the call for a screening program and more that 100,000 people signed a petition calling on the government to introduce a national screening program for prostate cancer.
According to the letter, treating prostate cancer that has spread costs the NHS approximately £127,000 per patient compared to £13,000 when the decease is caught early. In the letter they go on to argue that a national screening program would cost £25 million which is 0.01% of the NHS budget.
They list three bullet points they are asking the government to consider
- Reconsider the committees recommendation and commit to a national screening program
- Act now rather than waiting 10 years for further data whilst men die
- Ensure that risk not luck decides who is tested
They argue in the letter that the current alternative is that men have to rely they have a GP who takes their concerns seriously.
There is of course also the argument to be had that the whole point of a screening program is to catch the cancer before the symptoms present themselves which can unfortunately be a more advanced stage.
The letter closes by saying that Yvette and the government has an opportunity to change the story on prostate cancer and make a generational difference to mens health.
If you would like you check your prostate cancer risk you can do so using this free tool from Prostate Cancer UK
If you are concerned about prostate cancer or have any symptoms that are concerning you, please contact your GP. There is nothing to be embarrassed about and many times it will not be cancer, but if it is finding it early makes it more treatable.