LONDON

Black men in England are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer than white men, due to health inequities, a recent analysis revealed on Thursday.

The diagnosis rate of the disease for Black men is 1.5 times higher while they were 14% less likely to receive life-saving treatments, warned the National Prostate Cancer Audit (NPCA), as reported by local media.

In its State of the Nation Report 2025, the NPCA said Black men were diagnosed with late-stage (stage three or four) prostate cancer at a rate of 440 per 100,000 Black men in England, higher than white men with diagnosis rate of 295 per 100,000.

The analysis also showed that Black men in their 60s who had a later diagnosis were 14% less likely to receive life-saving treatments that have been approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for use on Britain's National Health Service (NHS).

Prostate Cancer UK, a leading charity in the field, said that although Black men have more risk of getting prostate cancer, current government guidelines treat them the same as other men with a lower risk.

It urges the government to change its "outdated" NHS guidelines so that GPs can start having conversations with men who are at higher risk.

"More black men than ever before are having prostate cancer diagnosed at an early stage thanks to awareness campaigns and the work NHS England has been doing in collaboration with Prostate Cancer UK, and we are working with Cancer Alliances to ensure that everyone has equal access to treatment at whatever stage their cancer is diagnosed," an NHS spokesperson said as the Guardian reported.

Prostate cancer which is the most common cancer in men, is curable if caught early but it usually has no symptoms in the early stages.