Manifesto and White Paper call for a focused strategy on men’s health

An expert group on prostate cancer has set down a series of issues that must be addressed to tackle prostate cancer in the 2024-2029 European Union legislative term.

The Let’s Talk Prostate Cancer (LTPC) expert group, which includes Europa Uomo representatives and is sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, is urging MEPs to support its new manifesto. This calls for:

• the European strategy on mental health to prioritise addressing the challenges faced by men with prostate cancer
• Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan to incorporate a systematic approach to prostate cancer, similar to strategies already in place for breast and colorectal cancer
• a focused strategy on men’s health
• funding for the implementation of prostate cancer screening in all Member States

The manifesto was simultaneously launched with an LTPC White Paper on men’s health, calling for the creation of an EU Initiative on Men’s Health, increased support for national policies addressing male health issues, and the establishment of a European Centre for Men’s Health Research.

Supporting the initiatives at an online launch event was Maria da Graca Carvalho, a member of the European Parliament (pictured). “The message is clear: we must prioritise prevention and boost our investment in scientific research,” she said.

Also speaking was Europa Uomo’s André Deschamps, who was a member of the steering group compiling the White Paper. He addressed the issues surrounding implementing prostate cancer screening at a national level. “Screening is useless if there is not awareness among the public that we need to screen,” he said. “There is also a need to change the political mentality… there is still a belief in many countries that PSA testing leads to overtreatment.”