More men are living longer with advanced prostate cancer: what the new figures show

Reviewed and approved by Mr Daniel Swallow, Consultant Urologist (GMC 6128674). Published 15 October 2026.

What the headlines say

“More men living longer with incurable prostate cancer” is how the news has been reported. The story comes from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and was published on 8 October 2026 alongside the National Prostate Cancer Audit’s annual State of the Nation report.

What the study actually found

The researchers looked at 45,339 men in England who were newly diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, meaning cancer that has spread beyond the prostate, between 2015 and 2022. They followed each man for three years. The share who died within three years fell from 56% for men diagnosed in 2015 to 47% for men diagnosed in 2022. Put the other way, a little over half of the men diagnosed in 2022 were still alive after three years, compared with 44% in 2015. The research team also reported that the risk of dying from prostate cancer fell by 24% over those years.

The researchers say newer treatments, including chemotherapy and newer hormone therapies used together, are now reaching routine NHS care and not only clinical trials. Earlier diagnosis, better scans, faster referral to specialist teams and quicker starts to treatment may have helped too. But this study did not have individual patients’ treatment records, so it cannot say which change made the biggest difference. It covers England only.

The figures are not all good news. Almost half of the men still died within three years. Prostate cancer diagnoses in England rose by 7% in a year, to 60,800 in 2025, and the number of men diagnosed with metastatic disease rose to more than 6,300. The team also says not everyone who could benefit from combination treatment is getting it yet.

What it means for you

This is encouraging, but it is not a cure, and these are figures for large groups of men, not predictions for any one person. If you or someone close to you has been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, the study’s lead author suggests asking your care team whether combination treatment is right for you. Prostate cancer often causes no symptoms in its early stages, which is one reason it can be found late.

When to see a doctor

See your GP if you have problems passing urine, such as a weak stream, needing to go more often or getting up at night, or if you are worried about your risk, for example because of a family history of prostate cancer. These symptoms are usually caused by harmless prostate enlargement, but they are worth checking. Blood in the urine, pain when passing urine, or being unable to pass urine needs urgent medical help: ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111.