Warinder Juss

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Murrison. The early stage of prostate cancer frequently produces no symptoms, which means many men are diagnosed only after the cancer has progressed. Screening offers the possibility of detecting the disease before symptoms develop. The strongest case for targeted screening is for high-risk men. That includes black men, who are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer as non-black men—one in four black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime—and they face a higher risk of dying from the disease. Equal treatment is not necessarily equitable treatment, because black men face a substantially higher risk of developing and dying from prostate cancer. Prostate cancer screening should certainly be available to all black men. My constituent Simeon Greene shared his experience of prostate cancer and the devastating impact the disease can have on black men and their families. He is a black man of African-Caribbean heritage and the youngest of four brothers. Tragically, all four brothers were diagnosed with prostate cancer before the age of 50, and all three of Simeon’s brothers have now died from the disease. The impact on his family has extended to the next generation; the son of Simeon’s eldest brother was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of just 39. His family’s experience demonstrates the devastating consequences of prostate cancer, particularly when it affects men at such a young age. We owe it to families like Simeon’s to amplify efforts to raise awareness, encourage early conversations about prostate cancer, and improve earlier detection and access to appropriate care. No family should have to endure what Simeon’s family has. We also need to provide greater support for trusted community organisations, which can play a vital role in raising awareness of prostate cancer and encouraging men to seek advice. The Wolves Foundation in my constituency recently hosted an event which used the reach of football to get men talking about the disease. They worked with local NHS specialists and those with personal experience of prostate cancer.