Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in England. It kills one man every 45 minutes. Put simply, more men are getting diagnosed and dying than ever before. It’s a huge – and rapidly growing – crisis in men’s health, and it’s hiding in plain sight.
In households across the country, dads, brothers, sons and friends are dying needlessly because they were diagnosed too late to be cured. Despite this, and despite what many men assume, they won’t be invited to get diagnosed early, before symptoms show and when they can be cured – meaning diagnosis is often left to chance and left too late.
Men who do manage to get diagnosed early experience extreme side effects from treatments as the norm, not the exception. Erectile dysfunction, incontinence, weight gain, fatigue, and memory issues challenge what it means to be themselves. And because access to support across the country is luck of the draw, there are hundreds of thousands of men who can’t access the help they need to navigate these endless daily challenges that dominate their new life.
Prostate cancer is a real and existential risk to increasing numbers of men. But it doesn’t need to be this way. A better future is possible – where lifesaving early diagnosis is the norm. Where better treatments save, lengthen and enrich men’s lives – changing things for the better, not worse. And where men have the support they need, on their terms, from day one.
This isn’t just wishful thinking – we’ve seen similar happen for other conditions like breast, lung and bowel cancers. And because this isn’t wishful thinking, it’s easy to imagine this future – where men are automatically invited to routine screening via their GP. Where a prostate cancer diagnosis doesn’t turn a man’s world upside-down – not only because it was caught early, but because from the moment he was diagnosed, he had the right support, tailored to his needs every step of the way. And where incredible improvements to treatments not only bring an end to disruptive side effects but also save the NHS money because more men will be cured, reducing reliance on life-long, expensive drugs.
Men can’t wait much longer – they can’t wait 20 years for the system to change of its own accord, nor for research to fill the gaps between what we know now and what we need. This is why we are embarking on a major appeal to raise a game-changing £100 million to drive generations of progress in just seven years, bringing us tangibly closer to a future where prostate cancer isn’t a death sentence.
Prostate Cancer UK was founded 28 years ago, and we’re now the leading prostate cancer charity and biggest funder of prostate cancer research in the UK.
1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer. We work to give every man the power to navigate it. Whether that’s helping you to understand your risk, make the right choice about treatment or get the expertise you need to feel informed and in control.
We make every pound count. We’ve invested over £100 million into the best researchers in the world to unravel the complexity of prostate cancer, so we can give men precise and personalised care with the right treatments at the right time, for the best chance of living the full life they want.
The advances in testing, funded by our supporters – like huge improvements in MRI scans- are blazing a trail towards a screening programme. In the near future, every man at risk of prostate cancer could be invited for regular, accurate tests that can catch cancer early enough for a cure, saving thousands of our Dads, partners, brothers and friends every year.
Our activity
- Raising awareness – we use our vast experience of talking to men about their health to inform our risk awareness work.
- Funding world-class research at institutions across the UK, through a variety of peer reviewed funding streams. We have invested over £100 million in prostate cancer research since we were founded.
- Campaigning on behalf of all those affected by prostate cancer. For example, our research funding was pivotal in showing how Olaparib, the first precision medicine for prostate cancer, could be used effectively to extend men’s lives and our campaigning helped to ensure it was made available for men in the UK with advanced prostate cancer.
- Changing practice within primary and secondary care. Our Education Service provides training and advice on improvements in prostate cancer care to 10,000 GPs annually.
- Supporting men and their families living with and beyond prostate cancer – our award-winning Specialist Nurse service who provide expert emotional and practical support through over 15,000 calls every year.
- Committing to inclusion through our Black Health Equity programme, underpinning everything we do to reduce the systemic barriers that Black men face – like raising awareness within Black communities about prostate cancer, and influencing policy change that gives Black men better access to early diagnosis and representation within research.
Our impact
- We have transformed prostate cancer research via the multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (mpMRI) study, which convinced the government to fund PROMIS – an ambitious clinical trial to test the technique in a large number of men. The results transformed the way prostate cancer was diagnosed in the UK.
- Development of the world’s first precision medicine for prostate cancer.
- We have achieved real world change for men by using our research to show how Olaparib, the first precision medicine for prostate cancer, could be used effectively to extend men’s lives – resulting in NICE announcing that the NHS should fund the treatment for certain men with advanced prostate cancer.
- We have made over 4 million men aware of their risk via our online risk checker that has been used over 4 million times since it launched in 2020, giving practical support on what steps to take next for a diagnosis. Over 8,000 more men starting treatment compared to last year.
- We have supported millions of men and their families. In the last year alone, men and their families nationwide accessed our support and information services 3,617,124 times.
Fundraising success
Together with our incredible supporters, we raised £43.8m during our last financial year, spending £51.5m to drive forward our mission to reduce deaths and harm from prostate cancer.
Our philanthropy programme has entered an exciting phase of growth, ambition and opportunity. In just the past two years, we’ve secured three transformative million-pound gifts, alongside a steady stream of six-figure donations, demonstrating real momentum and growing confidence in our mission. Driven by a friendly, professional, and high-performing team of five canvassers, we’ve successfully built a diverse and sustainable pipeline of major donors, charitable trusts, and foundations – generating an annual income of £2–4 million.
This growth has been fuelled by high-level partnerships with influential business leaders, helping us expand our philanthropic networks and unlock new opportunities through peer-to-peer relationships. We’ve also invested in high-impact cultivation events to attract and inspire supporters including an exclusive event at St James’s Palace with our Royal Patron, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester, and an intimate private dinner at The Savoy.
The scale and ambition of our major appeal now present a unique opportunity to build on this success – reaching levels of philanthropic support Prostate Cancer UK has never pursued before, with the aim of securing additional seven and even eight-figure gifts. For an incoming Chair, this is a pivotal moment to help shape a thriving, ambitious programme poised to deliver transformational impact.
Staffing
We employ 230 full-time and part-time staff members.
Our founder and President
Vice Presidents and Patrons
HRH The Duchess of Gloucster, Royal Patron
Prof Roger Kirby, Vice-President and Chair of the TRANSFORM Development Committee
Trustees
Doris Olulode, Chair of the Board of trustees