Prostate cancer diagnoses in England climbed by nearly 4,000 in a single year, according to the latest findings from a major national audit.
The National Prostate Cancer Audit recorded 60,827 new cases in 2025, a seven per cent increase on the 57,029 diagnoses reported in 2024.
The report also highlighted a troubling rise in the number of men whose prostate cancer is discovered only after it has spread to other parts of the body.
Advanced cases increased by almost 11 per cent, rising from 5,696 in 2024 to 6,312 the following year. That growth was considerably faster than the overall rise in diagnoses.
However, the report also contained evidence of progress in treating the disease.
Researchers examining more than 45,000 men with incurable, advanced prostate cancer found that survival has been improving consistently in recent years.
Among men diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2015, 56 per cent died within three years. For those diagnosed in 2022, the figure had dropped to 47 per cent, meaning a majority now live for at least three years after diagnosis.
Separate research by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found that the risk of dying from prostate cancer fell by nearly a quarter during the same period.
Specialists believe the gains reflect advances in treatment, including more widespread chemotherapy, newer hormone-based medicines and improved radiotherapy targeting the prostate.
Prostate cancer has become the UK’s most frequently diagnosed cancer, overtaking breast cancer.
More than 68,000 men receive a diagnosis across the UK each year—equivalent to one new case roughly every eight minutes.
The audit exposed significant regional variation in treatment. At some specialist centres, fewer than half of men with aggressive prostate cancer were offered radical treatment, while at others the proportion was close to nine in 10.
Prostate Cancer UK said the growing population of men living with the disease would place increasing demands on the NHS. It called for services to be prepared to deliver both effective treatment and long-term follow-up care, particularly for patients managing difficult side effects.
Natalia Norori, the charity’s head of data and evidence, said too many men were still being diagnosed after the cancer had reached a later stage, when treatment choices are more restricted. She described the fact that almost half of men with advanced disease continue to die within three years as a tragedy.
She also urged greater investment in prostate cancer care, saying the rising number of survivors must be matched with access to treatments that extend life, protect quality of life and reduce side effects.
The National Prostate Cancer Audit stressed that detecting the disease early remains one of the most important ways to improve outcomes.
Prostate cancer has become the UK’s most commonly diagnosed cancer
Professor Noel Clarke, the NPCA’s clinical surgical lead, said the continued rise in diagnoses underlined the need to ensure healthcare services have enough resources to support every man affected.
He added that many men can be cured when prostate cancer is identified early, making timely detection a critical priority.
The findings were published shortly after international researchers warned that prostate cancer rates among younger men could rise sharply in the coming years.
Analysis of NHS data found diagnoses among under-50s increased from 158 cases in 2001 to 640 in 2023.
Yet earlier this year, the UK National Screening Committee decided against population-wide screening, concluding that the potential harms outweigh the benefits.
