Listen: outdated guidelines mean thousands of men get treatment they don’t need

Prostate Cancer UK is urging an immediate overhaul of outdated NICE guidelines on Active Surveillance – a safe, non-invasive monitoring option for men with low-risk prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer UK asked NICE to update their Active Surveillance guidance two years ago, but the request was rejected.

Now the evidence shows that this is potentially affecting thousands of men as new analysis from the charity reveals alarming regional disparities and that up to 5,000 more men a year could avoid unnecessary treatment and harmful side effects.

A freedom of information request (FOI) by Prostate Cancer UK has revealed that just a quarter (24%) of hospitals rely on NICE guidelines alone to inform their use of Active Surveillance and shockingly, it identified 35 hospitals that created their own guidelines – demonstrating an inconsistency and confusion among urologists caused by the lack of up-to-date NICE guidance.

Aston spoke to Amy Rylance, assistant director of health improvement at Prostate Cancer UK.