Thousands of men with prostate cancer facing unnecessary overtreatment, experts warn
Thousands of cancer patients could be undergoing unnecessary overtreatment
- Up to 5,000 men in the UK could be undergoing unnecessary overtreatment for prostate cancer annually due to “outdated” guidelines.
- Prostate Cancer UK warns that current National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, last updated in 2021, do not account for advances in testing and diagnosis, leading to overtreatment.
- Overtreatment of slow-growing prostate cancers can result in severe side effects such as erectile dysfunction and incontinence, which could often be avoided with active monitoring.
- Experts describe a "wild west" or "postcode lottery" in care, with overtreatment rates varying significantly across England and many hospitals developing their own inconsistent guidelines.
- Prostate Cancer UK is urging NICE to update its active surveillance guidance, while NICE confirms it is currently reviewing its prostate cancer guidelines.