EAU and partners submit joint letter to ask for continued support from MEPs on prostate cancer

We are delighted to see that our collective advocacy with European cancer patients and researchers has led to strong messages on prostate cancer.

Over the summer months, we have been working with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to introduce a clear and strong political message to the European Commission and Council of the European Union that the time has come for prostate cancer to be added to the list of cancers addressed in the EU Screening Recommendations. President Ursula von der Leyen announced in her State of the Union address (see photo) that the screening recommendations would be updated in 2022, and the EAU is working with prostate cancer patients and researchers to jointly call for prostate cancer to finally be addressed in EU-wide guidelines.

Now the amendments to the BECA Committee's report has come in, and we are delighted to see strong support from MEPs for our proposals, and we are hoping that these amendments will make it into the final report. Together with our partners, we have sent an overview of the key amendments on prostate cancer to MEPs in a joint letter to ask for continued MEP support.

With an ageing population, prostate cancer is silently becoming an increasing healthcare burden in Europe. It is now the most frequent male cancer in Europe with important consequences for healthcare systems. Every year, approximately 450,000 Europeans are diagnosed with prostate cancer. Prostate cancer was the cause of death of an increasing number of people, up to 107,000 Europeans in 2018, and the disease causes many emotional and social problems for patients and their families. There can be no successful EU Cancer Plan without the specific measures to combat prostate cancer.