Men urged to get 'simple' prostate cancer test

More than 58,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in England in 2024

Older men across Lancashire have been urged to take an annual prostate cancer test after an MP with a family history of the disease described the county's screening rate as "really poor".

South Ribble MP Paul Foster said he was deemed to be at "high risk" because his grandfather had died of it and his father had recently been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer.

"It's a personal thing for me, but I really want to champion the cause now and get men tested," he said.

"If you get tested early and it's found early, there's a 79% chance that you can live with it for 10 years plus."

South Ribble MP Paul Foster said he was deemed at being "high risk" of getting prostate cancer

Foster said he had a PSA test last week - a blood test to help check for prostate conditions such as prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate.

The prostate is a walnut-shaped gland at the base of the bladder that naturally grows with age, but can sometimes become cancerous when cells grow in an uncontrolled way.

Prostate cancer can be symptomless in its early stages.

"Unfortunately in Lancashire our stats are really poor and one in four of us isn't being tested," Foster said. "We need to improve that.

"We really, really need to champion the PSA test, it's a simple blood test.

"The treatments have improved dramatically over the last few years, and it's all about early diagnosis."

More than 58,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in England in 2024, according to figures from the National Prostate Cancer Audit.

Dave Riley, from East Lancashire Prostate Cancer Support, said men over 50 can get tested annually, but "you can get checked privately from age 40 for about £25".

"We're trying to do as many tests as we can," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We've probably done over 3,000 over the last 10 years, and we say try and get it done once a year."