Black men are “put in disproportionate danger of dying” from prostate cancer due to health inequities and outdated NHS guidelines, a leading charity has said.
Prostate Cancer UK says that black men have higher rates of later diagnosis of the disease than any other group.
According to the National Prostate Cancer Audit State of the Nation Report 2025, 295 in every 100,000 white men between the ages of 65 to 84 get diagnosed with stage 3 or stage 4 prostate cancer each year.
This figure is 440 in every 100,000 for black men in the same age range in the UK.
Black men in their 60s who get a later diagnosis are also 14% less likely to receive life-saving treatments that have been approved by NICE on the NHS.
More than 21,000 men are diagnosed with stage 3 and 4 prostate cancer every year.
One in four black men will get the cancer – and have twice the risk of dying from the disease as other men.
Prostate cancer is curable if caught early but it usually has no symptoms in the early stages. It is the most common cancer in men.
Prostate Cancer UK is urging the government to update NHS guidelines so that GPs can proactively start having conversations about prostate cancer with black men from the age of 45, explaining their higher risk and talking them through the pros and cons of the PSA blood test that could indicate if further investigations are needed.
Under current guidelines, which Prostate Cancer UK says are outdated, it’s each man’s responsibility to find out his risk and decide if he wants to request a blood test.
“This fails to address inequity in the healthcare system and is putting black men’s lives at risk,” Prostate Cancer UK said.
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Keith Morgan, associate director of black health equity at the charity, said: “Every man has the right to the best care and treatment for prostate cancer.
“We know that black men are at a higher risk of getting prostate cancer, but this new data from the National Prostate Cancer Audit shows that if you’re black, the odds are currently stacked even higher against you.
“The evidence reveals the depths of inequity that exists when it comes to diagnosing prostate cancer and backs up what black men have been telling us for years about the challenges they face.
“Now that we have the data there is a moral imperative to urgently address this health equity scandal.”
Mr Morgan added: “We can’t change the fact that black men are at highest risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer, but we can change the fact that they are dying twice as much from a cancer that is treatable if caught early.
“That’s why we’re redoubling our urgent call for the government to overhaul these outdated NHS guidelines and allow GPs to start conversations about the option of PSA testing with men at the highest risk of prostate cancer.
“The good news is that black men don’t have to wait for guidelines to change to act. You have the right to a PSA blood test for free from your GP.”
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