Public health messaging around prostate cancer places a misleading focus on urinary symptoms and may be hampering efforts of early detection, scientists have warned.
Cambridge University researchers said there was "no evidence of a causal link between prostate cancer and either prostate size or troublesome male urinary symptoms".
However, public health guidance regularly promotes this link, with an increased need to urinate high on the list of symptoms for prostate cancer given on the NHS website.
In a review published in the journal BMC Medicine, the researchers argue the "strong public perception" male urinary symptoms are a key indicator of prostate cancer "may be seriously hampering efforts to encourage early presentation".
"If rates of earlier diagnosis are to improve, we call for strong clear messaging that prostate cancer is a silent disease especially in the curable stages and men should come forward for testing regardless of whether or not they have symptoms," the paper says.
"This should be done in parallel with other ongoing efforts to raise awareness including targeting men at highest risk due to racial ancestry or family history."
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men. More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with it each year and there are more than 12,000 deaths, according to Cancer Research UK.
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