Key Summary
- Prostate cancer is being diagnosed significantly later than other major cancers.
- Between October and December 2025, just 28.1 percent men received a diagnosis within the 28-day NHS target.
- Out of 117 hospital trusts, 91 failed to meet the target in even half of their cases.
While it has been five years since the NHS introduced a 28-day faster diagnosis standard for cancer, nearly three out of four people with prostate cancer miss getting diagnosed during this period, according to Telegraph.
The daily reports that between October and December 2025, only 28.1 percent (2,815 out of 10,033) of men received answers within 28 days,
This compares with 70.2 per cent of skin cancers, 67.4 per cent of breast cancers, 60 per cent of lung cancers and 55.6 per cent of bowel cancers in the same period. For all cancers combined, a total of 54.9 per cent were diagnosed in 28 days.
As per the NHS norm, patients with suspected cancer should receive a diagnosis or the all-clear within four weeks.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in the country, but the UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) had last year rejected the suggestion to make routine prostate cancer checks for all men in the UK, and advised screening to a small section of people.
The Government is preparing to publish the final recommendations of the UKNSC.
Figures obtained from NHS England showed that in just three months, 7,218 men found to have prostate cancer faced waits of more than 28 days.
Prostate cancer is curable if caught early, and there are around 540,000 men in the UK living with the disease.
The daily requested data for patients who went on to be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The October to December 2025 data shows that 91 out of 117 hospital trusts in England managed this in fewer than half of the cases of confirmed prostate cancer.
It was only 3.4 percent at the Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust in Harlow, Essex, 3.7 percent at the North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust and 4.4 percent at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, the daily added.
As for hospitals, while Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals diagnosed 94 percent within 28 days, with Epsom and St Helier University Hospital in Surrey were just behind at 93.1 per cent.
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals and Whittington Health Trust in north London were among the poor performers with 5.4 percent and 5.6 percent respectively.
