THE WAY AHEAD PROFESSOR ROGER KIRBY MA MD FRCS (Urol) FEBU Chairman of Prostate UK

Three common disorders afflict the prostate gland of men as they grow older.  Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) afflicts almost half of all men beyond middle age and Prostate cancer will eventually develop in 1 in every 11 men.  Inflammation of the prostate (Prostatitis) is also prevalent and takes a significant toll on the quality of life of those afflicted.  Yet a recent survey found that only 1 in 7 men is aware of the location and function of the prostate, and fewer still have any knowledge of the diseases to which it is  prone.

This general lack of awareness has several consequences: firstly, men tend to deny their symptoms and only seek advice when complications develop.  Second, men with prostate cancer frequently visit their doctor only after the disease has spread beyond the gland and when treatment options are considerably limited.  In addition, the lack of an effective patient lobby results in only a fraction of the research spent on prostate disease compared with other cancers.

Prostate UK is committed to increasing the amount we spend on research by at least 10% each year: in fact over the last three years we have increased the amount awarded to grants by over 83% thanks to the generosity of our supporters. Our research is into all prostate diseases - Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, Prostatitis and Prostate Cancer with the aim of stopping these diseases ruining people’s lives.   We concentrate in three main areas:

1. Prevention
   1. Lifestyle and men’s health, with specific attention to those agents capable of preventing prostate disease, such as vitamin D, selenium and lycopenes (the active preventative agent from tomato skin)
   2. Genetic and racial links.
   3. Vaccines
2. Diagnosis
   1. More accurate and less invasive diagnostic tests and in particular, a precise test able to detect the presence and estimate the extent for prostate cancer: this could lead to routine screening and save the lives of thousands of men.
   2. Better Imaging devices.
   3. Tests to distinguish whether a cancer is aggressive or passive.
3. Treatments
   1. More effective medical therapies offering fewer side effects and better outcomes. Almost 200 new treatment strategies, including a number of gene therapies, are now in the development stage.  Much work will be required however to determine which are truly safe and effective
   2. Better treatments for advanced disease.
   3. Treatments that preserve Quality of Life.

Prostate UK is committed to funding the best research and we welcome requests for information about the awards procedure.

The prospects are now better than ever before for the eventual defeat of the scourge of prostate disease.  But only with your help can we push forward these important frontiers.