MORTALITY rates from prostate cancer have fallen by 23 per cent in Swindon since the early 1990s, according to new figures.

Between 1993 and 1995, around 32.4 deaths per 100,000 men were recorded in the town. But the number has decreased consistently since then, dropping to 24.8 per 100,000 men between 2010 and 2012, statistics released by Swindon Council have shown.

Nationally, death rates for prostate cancer have dropped by 20 per cent. There were 30 deaths per 100,000 men in the early 1990s compared to approximately 24 per 100,000 in 2012.

The downward trend is largely due to new approaches to treatment, such as earlier and widespread use of hormone therapy, radical surgery and radiotherapy, as well as the earlier diagnosis of some cancers linked to the use of the PSA (prostate specific antigen) test.

Over the past five years, Great Western Hospital has developed close links with specialists in Bristol, Reading and Oxford to offer the best possible treatment for patients.

Bristol prostate cancer surgeons hold a clinic in Swindon every two weeks now to see patients pre- and post-operation. They also perform radical prostatectomies using the state of the art Da Vinci surgical robot system.

Oncologists and radiotherapy specialists from Oxford travel to GWH to treat patients, offering the latest chemotherapy options.

Changing mentalities have also meant that more men have sought diagnosis over the year. Between 1990 and 2012, the number rose from 58 to 220.

The encouraging figures have been welcomed by experts, who are hoping to raise awareness of men’s health conditions, including prostate cancer, during the Movember campaign.

But a lot remains to be done to encourage men to receive regular checks and get tested.

Sian Fletcher, urology Macmillan clinical nurse specialist at GWH, said: “There is no routine screening. Men just notice a change in urinary or erectile function. By 2030 it is likely to be the most common cancer in men. Over one in eight men will get prostate cancer. But it’s a very optimistic cancer; over 250,000 people are living with it now and have survived treatment.”

A lot of crucial questions remain unanswered, according to Professor Malcolm Mason, Cancer Research UK’s prostate cancer expert. “We still don’t understand why some prostate cancers turn out to be harmless – the grass snakes – while others are aggressive – the vipers – and resistant to treatment,” he said.

“Developing a test that distinguishes between these grass snakes and vipers in prostate cancer patients would help doctors understand which patients are most at risk.”