Thousands more lives could be saved if a new ‘Man Van’ model offering mobile prostate cancer check-ups is rolled out across the country, experts believe.
The Man Van, co-developed by The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, began offering appointments to the public for the first time in March to boost early diagnosis of prostate and other urological cancers. Medics behind the innovative new outreach program told i they recently detected the first set of confirmed prostate cancer cases in men who said they would otherwise probably never have gone for a check-up as they had not been showing any symptoms.
The mobile unit was in Thornton Heath until Friday and will be moving to Parkway, New Addington, in south London, from August 8 to 19. It aims to improve healthcare access for men who are less likely to receive regular health checks, and are at risk of having cancer diagnosed late, when it is more difficult to treat.
Dr Masood Moghul, a clinical research fellow who is working on the project full-time and is funded by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, said he hoped the NHS could one day launch many more Man Vans.
He told i: “This is not just about raising awareness, but about providing a facility where men know they can have those checks done and hopefully save lives. We know that GP services are already stretched and barely coping with people who have actual symptoms, so telling them they should be seeing people without symptoms as well and offering them screening is not realistic.
“The whole goal of this is to see whether this model works and where it works best. Is it possible that this is the future? We’ll continue to collect data and if we show its success then who knows? The NHS might pick it up and say we need 10 vans to travel the country as well as other various models.”
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men. According to Cancer Research UK, over 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year and there are more than 12,000 deaths.
Over three-quarters (78 per cent) of men diagnosed with the disease survive for over ten years, but this proportion has barely changed over the past decade in the UK, largely because the disease is detected at a relatively late stage. In England, for example, nearly half of all prostate cancers are picked up at stage three of four.
Last week, University of Cambridge experts said men with early, curable stages of prostate cancer are missing opportunities to have their cancer detected because national guidelines and media health campaigns focus on urinary symptoms despite a lack of scientific evidence.
Dr Moghul said: “That first hurdle of raising awareness, which is particularly more problematic in men who are generally less likely to seek medical attention, is tough to overcome. And the levels of awareness and knowledge of prostate cancer, especially among Black men who are at higher risk, is pretty low. If we find it quicker we can treat it, but if it’s spread we can’t. We’ve had several guys diagnosed now after coming to the van. “
Council worker Olukayode Dada, 60 from New Addington, south London, was diagnosed with prostate cancer after visiting the Man Van in May. He is currently being treated with hormone therapy at The Royal Marsden.
Mr Olukayode said: “I first heard about the Man Van when I got a text from my GP surgery inviting me for an appointment. I had been considering getting checked as, the previous year, I’d heard on the radio that black men have around double the risk of developing the disease over other men.
“The appointment itself was quick, and the clinicians were very cordial. A few days later, the same doctor called me to say my PSA [Prostate-Specific Antigen] levels were higher than normal, which can indicate prostate cancer. It was very scary and shocking, as I had no symptoms whatsoever.”
Mr. Olukayode is now being treated with hormone therapy for six months, which involves tablets and monthly injections, before starting radiotherapy.
He said: “I think the Man Van is a very good idea. As it was local, it was easy for me to get checked and, if it hadn’t been for the van, I wouldn’t have known I have cancer.”
Chiara De Biase, director of support and influencing at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Prostate cancer diagnosis has been badly hit by the pandemic, and we welcome new initiatives aiming to tackle this and encourage men to be more aware of their health.
“However, we know that thousands of men across the country haven’t come forward for a diagnosis since the start of the pandemic, and the problem we’re facing now needs solutions on both the local and national scale. We want to see more plans to target men across the country to help them understand their risk and what they can do about it. This is particularly important for those at highest risk of prostate cancer, which includes men over 50, black men and men with a family history of the disease.”