Prostate cancer
What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death (after lung cancer) in men in the UK. The prostate is a small gland at the base of the bladder. Its job is to produce the liquid that is mixed with sperm to make semen. Prostate cancer occurs when the cells of the prostate start to grow in an uncontrolled way. Rare in men under 40, its incidence increases with age and it is quite common in men over 80. It is a serious disease but often slow to develop.
However, it’s important to note that many men with prostate problems do not have cancer but have a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia. This affects almost half of men over 60 and can have similar symptoms to prostate cancer.
The MRC and prostate cancer research
Since 2001, the MRC and 18 other major funders of cancer research in the UK have worked in partnership to streamline cancer research. This partnership, called the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI), helps maintain strategic oversight of UK cancer research, identifies gaps and opportunities and coordinates the funding activities of partner organisations. Programmes funded range from studies into the basic molecular and genetic processes of cancer to clinical trials of new therapies for specific types of the disease. Our current prostate cancer research includes:
- In March 2001 a number of NCRI members including the MRC agreed to jointly provide £6.7 million over five years to set up two Prostate Cancer Collaboratives. The South of England Collaborative, directed by Professor Colin Cooper, is based at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, while the ProMT (Prostate Cancer: Mechanisms of Progression and Treatment) programme is directed by Professor David Neal and encompasses the universities of Cambridge, Newcastle, Sheffield, Manchester and Bristol. Both collaborations are working to discover the origins and causes of prostate cancer, in order to find new therapies and diagnostic tools for predicting different forms of the disease.
- The MRC Clinical Trials Unit in London coordinates clinical trials into prostate cancer therapies. Professor Nick James is running a large international study comparing the effectiveness and side effects of combinations of three drugs to treat the disease. Mr Paul Abel is leading a study investigating whether oestrogen skin patches are effective at reducing levels of the male hormone testosterone in prostate cancer sufferers without causing side effects such as hot flushes and bone thinning.