All men at high risk of prostate cancer should be offered checks even if it costs the NHS more to deliver it, most Britons believe.
An overwhelming 86 per cent of the public want a national screening programme put in place that could identify the disease earlier.
Only 5 per cent said the Health Service should not offer the tests even if it means some men are diagnosed late – which makes the cancer more difficult to treat.
The poll, by Ipsos, found there was a ‘dangerous’ lack of awareness of the symptoms of prostate cancer and its risk factors.
It is the most diagnosed form of the disease in England, with 55,033 cases identified in 2023. Some 10,200 men are killed in England each year, too, but catching it early improves the odds of successful treatment.
The Daily Mail is campaigning for a national prostate cancer screening programme, initially targeted at high-risk men such as those who are black or have a family history of the disease.
Just 7 per cent surveyed realise there are often no symptoms in the early stages of prostate cancer and more than half (56 per cent) wrongly think frequent or difficult urination is an early indicator – when it is in fact often a sign of advanced disease. Both highlight the need for proactive checks.
Some 56 per cent also incorrectly expect to see blood in their urine in the early stages and a third (32 per cent) believe erectile dysfunction to be the same.
Prostate cancer with organs and tumor or cancerous cells 3D rendering illustration
MRI of the prostate gland, revealing an enlarged size – aids in diagnosing tumors, guiding treatment decisions, and monitoring prostate health
Three in five of the of 1,088 polled say they or a loved one would be more likely to get their prostate checked if it was part of a routine NHS check-up and 46 per cent said they would be more inclined to be tested if they knew they were at higher risk.
It comes just weeks after a separate OnePoll survey of GPs revealed 94 per cent of the public want the Government to roll out the lifesaving checks.
They joined prostate cancer charities and former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in arguing the move could save money and prevent needless deaths.
The NHS already offers national screening programmes for breast, bowel and cervical cancers – but not for prostate disease.
The UK National Screening Committee, which advises the Government on which programmes to offer, is considering recent developments around prostate cancer diagnosis and is to report its findings later this year.
Analysis by the charity Prostate Cancer Research suggests such a scheme would lead to an extra 775 cases being diagnosed early each year among high-risk men aged 45 to 69. It would also spare almost 300 men annually from a stage 4 diagnosis – when the tumour has incurably spread around the body.
Amy Rylance, assistant director of health improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, said: ‘NHS guidelines are dangerously outdated because they rely on men being aware of their risk and knowing that they need to ask their GP for a test.
‘This polling shows that lots of men don’t have this level of awareness. It’s unfair and it’s causing hundreds of men to die every year.’
David James, director of patient projects and influencing at Prostate Cancer Research, said: ‘It’s time for the NHS to step up with a targeted screening programme that reaches out to the men most at risk – before it’s too late.’
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has declared his support for the Mail’s campaign, telling MPs earlier this month that he would like to see the NHS pro-actively offer tests for the disease.
