Stop men dying needlessly from prostate cancer
The Issue
We, the undersigned, urgently call on the Government and NHS England to:
Instruct Cancer Alliances to provide information to GPs about both nationally recognised prostate cancer referral routes—not just one, as is currently the case.
This simple change would ensure GPs are fully informed of both referral pathways and able to make the right decisions—ultimately saving lives.
Background: I am making this plea because of my brother. He has terminal prostate cancer. Years ago, after an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test result and an enlarged prostate, his GP diagnosed benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). He returned later for another PSA test, which showed a significantly higher level and a bumpy prostate. On referral, he was found to have stage 4 prostate cancer, already spread throughout his body.
His urologist advised me to see my own GP. I had no lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), but I did have an elevated PSA and an enlarged prostate. Again, I was told it was simply BPH. Because I knew what had happened to my brother, I sought a private referral. Within three weeks, I was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer—caught in time. I had surgery to remove my prostate, likely saving my life.
Had I not known my brother’s story, I might have accepted the GP’s initial assessment—and faced the same devastating outcome.
What’s going wrong? Cancer Alliances currently give GPs referral guidance based solely on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) age-related PSA thresholds for men with LUTS. They omit vital information about the Government’s Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme (PCRMP)—a national referral route specifically for men without symptoms.
As a result, GPs are being left in the dark about how to appropriately assess asymptomatic men, and many early-stage cancers are being missed.
Why this matters: NICE itself states that most men with prostate cancer do not have symptoms. Caught early, around 90% of men survive. So why are GPs only being guided to refer men with symptoms? This is a fundamental flaw in how we approach early detection.
The solution is simple: Instruct all Cancer Alliances to update referral forms and guidance to include both the NICE symptomatic pathway and the PCRMP asymptomatic pathway. This will give GPs the full picture—and give more men a fighting chance of survival.
57,820
The Issue
We, the undersigned, urgently call on the Government and NHS England to:
Instruct Cancer Alliances to provide information to GPs about both nationally recognised prostate cancer referral routes—not just one, as is currently the case.
This simple change would ensure GPs are fully informed of both referral pathways and able to make the right decisions—ultimately saving lives.
Background: I am making this plea because of my brother. He has terminal prostate cancer. Years ago, after an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test result and an enlarged prostate, his GP diagnosed benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). He returned later for another PSA test, which showed a significantly higher level and a bumpy prostate. On referral, he was found to have stage 4 prostate cancer, already spread throughout his body.
His urologist advised me to see my own GP. I had no lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), but I did have an elevated PSA and an enlarged prostate. Again, I was told it was simply BPH. Because I knew what had happened to my brother, I sought a private referral. Within three weeks, I was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer—caught in time. I had surgery to remove my prostate, likely saving my life.
Had I not known my brother’s story, I might have accepted the GP’s initial assessment—and faced the same devastating outcome.
What’s going wrong? Cancer Alliances currently give GPs referral guidance based solely on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) age-related PSA thresholds for men with LUTS. They omit vital information about the Government’s Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme (PCRMP)—a national referral route specifically for men without symptoms.
As a result, GPs are being left in the dark about how to appropriately assess asymptomatic men, and many early-stage cancers are being missed.
Why this matters: NICE itself states that most men with prostate cancer do not have symptoms. Caught early, around 90% of men survive. So why are GPs only being guided to refer men with symptoms? This is a fundamental flaw in how we approach early detection.
The solution is simple: Instruct all Cancer Alliances to update referral forms and guidance to include both the NICE symptomatic pathway and the PCRMP asymptomatic pathway. This will give GPs the full picture—and give more men a fighting chance of survival.
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Petition created on 4 May 2025