Prostate Cancer is the most common for men in the UK; in Northern Ireland this translates into an approximately 1000 diagnosis per year. The facts and figures shown below are the driving force for the work developed by the Prostate Cancer Research Group at Queen’s University Belfast.

We have a large, multidisciplinary and dynamic team of basic biologists, translational scientists, epidemiologists, pathologists, radiologists and clinicians who work in partnership to understand the basic mechanisms of disease biology, interrogate novel treatment modalities and combination therapies and translate these findings into clinical trials, to ultimately improve patient care and outcomes.

Explore the sections below to learn the kind of work done in our centre, how one of our graduate students is engaging with this problem, and the impact of our work as perceived by Ken McBride, who shared his experience over coffee.

Basic facts and figures about Prostate Cancer

Worldwide: 

• Prostate cancer is the third most common cancer in men. 
• Age-standardized incidence rates are highest in Northern Europe and lowest in South Central Asia. 
• 1.4 million cases worldwide for prostate cancer in 2020, 7.3% of total cancer cases. 
• Men of African origin are more prone to the disease compared to other ethnicities. 

Across the UK 

• More than 47,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year – that's 129 men every day. 
• Every 45 minutes one man dies from prostate cancer – that's more than 11,500 men every year. 
• 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. 
• Around 400,000 men are living with and after prostate cancer. 

In Northern Ireland 

• More than 1,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in Northern Ireland. 
• More than 200 men die every year from prostate cancer in Northern Ireland. 
• More than 9,000 men are living with and after prostate cancer in Northern Ireland. 

Sources: 

• http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/incidence/common-cancers-compared#heading-One
• https://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/CancerInformation/official-statistics/BySite/Prostate/
• https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information

Content provided by: Drs Cristina Branco and Melissa LaBonte-Wilson

Chief Editor: Cristina Branco

Guest Editor/Expert Content: Melissa LaBonte Wilson

Contributors: Ken McBride and Lanshan Huang

Publication Design: Kiera McGill