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Prostate cancer at a glance

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with more than 34,000 cases diagnosed every year.

A man’s risk of getting prostate cancer increases with age. The cancer is rare in men under 50 but by the age of 80, more than half of all men have cancerous changes in their prostate. But prostate cancer often grows very slowly, meaning that many men may never know they have the disease and will die of unrelated causes.

Having one or more close relatives with prostate cancer increases the risk. And West African men and black men from the Carribean have an increased risk of prostate cancer.

Cancer Research UK is funding research into all aspects of prostate cancer including new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease. For example, we are currently funding research looking at ways to screen for prostate cancer, which could help to prevent the disease.

To find out more about the causes, symptoms and treatment of prostate cancer, please visit CancerHelp UK.

To read about Cancer Research UK’s research into prostate cancer, visit our Research Highlights.