Public health messages around prostate cancer focus misleadingly on urinary symptoms and may hinder early detection efforts, scientists have warned.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge said there was “no evidence of a causal link between prostate cancer and prostate size or bothersome male urinary symptoms”.
However, public health guidance regularly promotes this link, with an increased need to urinate on the list of prostate cancer symptoms displayed on the NHS website.
In a review published in the journal BMC Medicine, researchers argue that the “strong public perception” of male urinary symptoms as a key indicator of prostate cancer “may be seriously hampering efforts to encourage early presentation.”
“If early diagnosis rates improve, we’re asking for a clear and strong message that prostate cancer is a silent disease, especially in the curable stages, and men should get tested regardless of whether they have symptoms or not.” , the document says.
“This should be done in parallel with other ongoing efforts to raise awareness, including targeting men at higher risk due to racial ancestry or family history.”
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men. More than 52,000 men are diagnosed each year and more than 12,000 die, according to Cancer Research UK.
More than three-quarters (78%) of men diagnosed with the condition survive for more than 10 years, but this proportion has barely changed over the past decade in the UK, largely because the disease is detected at a relatively late stage .
In England, almost half of all prostate cancers are detected at stage three out of four.
Vincent Gnanapragasam, Professor of Urology at the University of Cambridge, said: “When most people think of prostate cancer symptoms, they think of problems with urination or the need to urinate more often, especially during the night
“This misperception has persisted for decades, despite very little evidence, and is potentially preventing us from detecting cases at an early stage.”
Although prostate enlargement can cause urinary problems that are often included in public health messages, evidence suggests that it is relatively rare due to malignant prostate tumors, the researchers said.
Instead, research suggests that the prostate is smaller in cases of prostate cancer.