'Poorer men losing out on vital prostate cancer care'

A NUMBER of men with prostate cancer are “missing out” on vital treatment, a charity has said.

- ELLA PICKOVER

It comes as a new national audit of prostate cancer care in England and Wales revealed a “postcode lottery” of care, Prostate Cancer UK said.

The audit shows there has been an increase in the proportion of men who received radical treatments for prostate cancer in both countries.

Overall, 69% of men with high-risk or locally advanced disease in England had radical treatments in England, along with 68% of patients in Wales.

Prostate Cancer UK said the audit also showed a significant proportion of men with incurable cancer are missing out on treatments that could give them years of extra life, with older men and black men more likely to miss out on these life-extending treatments.