98 The NHS will begin contacting 500,000 men this week, inviting them to join a major research programme aimed at improving the early detection and treatment of prostate cancer. Men who have been diagnosed with or are living with the disease will receive letters and text messages explaining how they can register to take part in what is expected to become one of the world’s largest prostate cancer resources. Prostate Progress, led by the charity Prostate Cancer Research and supported by the NHS DigiTrials recruitment service, is designed to accelerate the development of better tests, treatments, and care. The initiative aims to recruit as many participants as possible to improve the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, deepen understanding of treatment side effects and their impact on quality of life, and help shape future clinical trials and research. Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK, with around 60,000 new cases diagnosed and more than 12,000 deaths each year. As part of the National Cancer Plan for England, the government has made cancer research and innovation a priority, aiming to make the NHS the first choice for clinical trials, accelerate the adoption of new innovations, set clear research priorities, and expand access to clinical trials so more patients across the country can help develop potentially life-saving treatments. Actors Stephen Fry and Colin McFarlane, who have both been diagnosed with prostate cancer, are backing the NHS-supported scheme. Sir Fry, who was diagnosed in 2018, has described the initiative as “genuinely hopeful” with the potential for “enormous collective good”. The programme is particularly encouraging participation from Black men, who are around twice as likely to develop prostate cancer as other men. Around 1 in 4 Black men in the UK are expected to be diagnosed during their lifetime. Researchers say better representation will help improve understanding of differences in diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. McFarlane, who appeared in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, is urging Black men to take part, saying it will help “ourselves, our fathers, our sons, our brothers, our families and future generations”. Men who join Prostate Progress will be asked to complete questionnaires every few months about their experiences of living with prostate cancer and consent to their NHS records being securely linked for approved research. Verified researchers will then be able to compare participants’ reported experiences, including symptoms and quality of life, with information held in their NHS records. By combining these data, researchers hope to gain new insights into prostate cancer, improve understanding of the disease, develop more effective tests and treatments, enhance diagnosis, monitor treatment safety, and help plan future NHS services. Sir Fry, who underwent prostate cancer surgery and is now a prostate cancer ambassador, said: “A prostate cancer diagnosis can knock you sideways and leave you feeling rather powerless, maybe even a little frightened. Yet Prostate Progress offers something genuinely hopeful: the chance to turn our individual experiences into knowledge that may help future generations of men live longer, healthier lives. It is a simple act, but one with the potential for enormous collective good. If you’ve experienced prostate cancer, I urge you to join me and thousands of others by signing up to Prostate Progress today.” McFarlane said: “Why are Black men twice as likely to develop prostate cancer? We still don’t know the full answer. Every research study that includes more Black men brings us a step closer to understanding why. That’s why initiatives like Prostate Progress are so important. Many Black people may understandably feel cautious about engaging with institutions, shaped by past experiences and a lack of trust. It is important that we recognise those concerns while also creating opportunities for Black men to help shape the future of prostate cancer care. Prostate Progress gives us an opportunity to do exactly that. If we’re missing from the data, we’re missing from the solutions. The answers we discover by including more Black men won’t just benefit the Black community, they’ll help improve care for everyone. If you’re invited to take part, please say yes. This isn’t just about helping science. It’s about helping ourselves, our fathers, our sons, our brothers, our families and future generations. Together, we can help change the future of prostate cancer care. That’s a chance none of us should miss.” Professor Peter Johnson said: “Prostate cancer affects the lives of tens of thousands of men every year, and we’ve seen survival rates rising in recent decades thanks to ground breaking research and clinical trials. It’s really important that we understand how prostate cancer affects men’s lives in detail, which is why we’re joining forces with the charity Prostate Cancer Research, so we can continue to transform care and treatment. We’ll be contacting over half a million men over the next few months who have or who have had prostate cancer, and I’d urge anyone who receives an invite to Prostate Progress to sign up. Joining Prostate Progress today will make a tremendous difference to the lives of men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the future.” James Frith said: “Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK, and every piece of data we gather brings us closer to the tests and treatments that future patients will depend on to live well for longer. Prostate Progress has the potential to become a hugely important resource, but only if men come forward and share their experiences, so I encourage anyone who receives an invitation to sign up. This is the kind of innovation the government’s National Cancer Plan is designed to support, making the NHS a world leading destination for cancer research and ensuring patients across the country can help shape the treatments of tomorrow.” Junior Hashim, from Northampton, was among the first 5,000 people recruited to the Prostate Progress pilot. He said: “I joined Prostate Progress because I want to help improve the future of prostate cancer diagnosis, treatment and research. Sharing my experiences of diagnosis and treatment is one way I can help researchers better understand what living with prostate cancer is really like. As a Black man living with prostate cancer, I know how important it is for more Black men to get involved in research like this. There is hope, and by taking part we can help improve outcomes for future generations and move closer to finding better treatments and ultimately a cure.” Oliver Kemp MBE, Chief Executive Officer of Prostate Cancer, said: “Half a million men is a huge number, but every one of them has a unique story that could help save another man’s life. An NHS record can tell us which scans and treatments a man received, but only he can tell us what living through prostate cancer was really like. Prostate Progress will bring those two halves together at a scale never before possible, creating a world leading prostate cancer platform. By bringing together years of NHS records with men’s own experiences, we could understand why some cancers become aggressive, spot dangerous cancers earlier, inform future approaches to screening and match each man with the treatment most likely to help him. We have made huge advances in scans, genetics and treatments in recent years, but we have lacked the data to connect them. This could be the missing piece that turns those advances into longer, better lives.”