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The Prostate Project

Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in European males. In the UK alone there will be over 21,000 new cases this year and on average one in fourteen of us will develop the cancer during the course of our lives. Although far more prevalent as a slow growing tumour in older men, it can be aggressive and in need of active treatment, particularly when it occurs in young men.

The research institutions in Norwich are now becoming nationally recognised as being at the vanguard of research into this form of cancer. Local patients are getting involved too, with more than 300 men donating tissue for analysis at the Norwich and Norfolk University Hospital. To build on this commendable community contribution the Big C launched its 'Prostate Project' in 2003 to raise funds to enable this vital work to continue.

For the past five years the University of East Anglia, in a collaborative project with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, has been investigating cancerous cells in an attempt to identify the triggers that cause the disease to advance. The ultimate goal of the project is that the results will lead to new methods of treatment which will target the tumours more effectively.

'We are fortunate that in Norwich we have The Big C; a charity which is well known for the large amounts of money it has raised for cancer care in the county'

- Krishna Sethia, Senior consultant at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital who is working in collaboration with Professor Dylan Edwards at the University of East Anglia on the Prostate Project.