Almost 40,000 men at high risk of one of the UK’s deadliest cancers have taken a 30-second online test to calculate their likelihood of getting the disease in just three weeks.
A total of 48,728 people have now completed Prostate Cancer UK’s online checker since November 30, five times higher than during the same time period last year.
New data shows 77 per cent (37,489) were identified as being ‘high risk’, according to the charity.
Ahead of the World Darts Championship, tournament sponsor Paddy Power announced it would partner with the charity in a bid to improve diagnosis and treatment of the disease, which kills more than 11,500 men in the UK every year.
The initiative — dubbed ‘The Big 180’ — also saw the bookie reveal it aimed to donate up to £1million to Prostate Cancer UK during the tournament, giving £1,000 after a maximum 180 score is hit.
A total of 48,728 people have now completed Prostate Cancer UK’s online checker since November 30, five times higher than during the same time period last year. But new data shows 77 per cent (37,489) were identified as being ‘high risk’, according to the charity
The charity’s risk checker, which helps men understand their risk and decide whether they need a further blood test, involves just three quick questions.
These include your age, your family history of the disease and ethnicity to determine if you carry any of the risk factors.
It then provides information on how men over 50 can access a free prostate cancer check and the opportunity to receive further information via email.
This includes links to what you could ask your GP, contact details for the charity’s specialist nurses, and further resources on symptoms of the disease.
According to Prostate Cancer UK, 5,184 men — more than a fifth of all responders so far — took the test on the first day of the tournament, which began on Friday.
One in eight men develop the disease at some point in their lives, with more than 52,000 men diagnosed each year.
But 9,000 men a year are diagnosed once it has already spread, making it the second most common cause of death from cancer in men after lung cancer.
Experts are in agreement that early detection is key to boosting survival rates.
However, with no national screening programme, progress has been slow in bringing numbers down.
By the end of the World Darts Championship Paddy Power hope up to 180,000 men will use the charity’s checker to calculate their risk.
The bookie will also donate £1,000 to Prostate Cancer UK every time one of the players hits the maximum 180 score during the tournament at Alexandra Palace in North London, which runs until January 4.
It projected it would donate around £1million to the charity after 901 maximums were scored during last year’s tournament.
But based on the current trajectory — 131 hit since Friday compared to 111 over the same time period last year — Paddy Power believes the record will be smashed taking total donations beyond £1million.
The campaign was launched last month by the winner of the 1993/94 PDC World Darts Championship Dennis ‘The Menance’ Priestly — who was treated for the disease after being diagnosed in November 2007.
Rachael Kane, spokesperson for Paddy Power said: ‘At the beginning of the tournament, Paddy Power’s stats makers projected that a possible 880 180s might be struck during this year’s Paddy Power World Darts Championship.
‘However, based on the current trajectory, numbers are already well ahead of what they were at the same point in play last year — 131 versus 111 — which suggests the players are slowly nudging their way towards breaking a possible record at this year’s tournament.’
She added: ‘We’re delighted to report that our finance department are starting to feel a bit clammy.’
Cancer Research UK analysis estimates that around 167,000 lives are lost to cancer in the UK every year – some 460 people every day.
More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year on average in the UK, making it the most common cancer in men. Around 12,000 men die every year from the disease — the equivalent of one every 45 minutes
Paddy Power (left) was pictured with ex-pro darts player and prostate cancer survivor Dennis Priestly (centre) alongside Prostate Cancer UK’s Matt Holdstock for the launch last month
The risk of prostate cancer increases as you age, with most cases developing in men aged 50 or older, the NHS says.
Symptoms can include needing to urinate more often, having to wait longer before you can pass urine, erectile dysfunction, blood in urine, weight loss or any new and unexplained lower back pain.
After discussing symptoms a doctor is likely to ask for a urine sample to be checked for infection and a blood sample to test the level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which can be used to diagnose prostate cancer.
Celebrities who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer include Stephen Fry, who said he was ‘stunned’ after finding out he had the disease in 2018, but recovered because it was spotted early.
Musician Jools Holland revealed last year that he had been successfully treated for prostate cancer after a diagnosis in 2014.
In August, Prostate Cancer UK also announced that referrals for the disease have reached a record high in the last year — rising 17 per cent — thanks to the ‘Bill Turnbull’ effect.
They said they believe the death of ambassador and presenter encouraged men to go and get tested.
The Daily Mail also recently relaunched its End the Needless Prostate Deaths campaign in a bid to improve diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.
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