England's Prostate Cancer Cases Hit 'Record High' After Olympian Raises Awareness From Own Diagnosis
Prostate cancer diagnoses in England have reached a 'record high,' with 61,115 men diagnosed in 2024 as greater public awareness encourages more people to seek testing. New National Health Service (NHS) England cancer registration data published on 5 November 2026 shows diagnoses rose by 4.1% from the previous year.
Prostate cancer remained the country's most commonly diagnosed cancer and accounted for about one in six registered cancer cases, equivalent to roughly 167 diagnoses per day. Overall, England recorded 373,574 new cancer diagnoses in 2024, the highest annual total on record.
Sir Chris Hoy's Impact on Awareness
The rise comes amid heightened awareness of prostate cancer, including campaigning by six-time Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy following his own diagnosis. Hoy announced in February 2024 that he had cancer and later disclosed that he had stage 4 prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. Hoy has since spoken publicly about his condition and encouraged men, particularly those at greater risk, to learn about prostate cancer and discuss testing with their doctors.
Prostate Cancer UK said more than 140,000 people used its online risk checker after Hoy publicly discussed his advanced diagnosis in 2024. He also supported calls for changes to how men at higher risk are approached about prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, blood testing.
In September 2026, thousands of cyclists joined the second Tour de 4 event established by Hoy, with participants raising $3.6 million (£2.7 million) for cancer charities.
Prostate Cancer Often Develops Without Symptoms
Prostate cancer affects the prostate, a small gland below the bladder that forms part of the male reproductive system. The disease often causes no symptoms during its early stages, meaning that some people may not know they have it until it has grown or spread.
Later symptoms can include difficulty urinating, needing to urinate more frequently, blood in the urine or semen, erectile dysfunction and, in advanced cases, unexplained weight loss or lower back pain.
Age is one of the main risk factors for prostate cancer, as it commonly affects people aged over 50. Black African and African Caribbean men are also at higher risk, as are people with a family history of prostate cancer or certain inherited genetic changes, including BRCA2 mutations.
The NHS advises people who are concerned about their risk to speak to a GP even when they do not have symptoms, to potentially diagnose it in the early stages.
PSA Testing Can Lead to Further Checks
A PSA test measures the level of prostate-specific antigen in the blood and can indicate that further investigation may be needed. An elevated result does not by itself confirm cancer because other prostate conditions can also raise PSA levels, while the test can sometimes miss cancer.
People with raised results may therefore be referred for further investigations, including an MRI scan and, where necessary, a biopsy, to figure out exactly what is happening.
Routine PSA screening is not offered to the general population through the NHS, although people can discuss the test and its potential benefits and limitations with their GP. The latest figures underline the growing number of people being diagnosed as awareness and testing increase.