24 February 2026
Major funding boost for study encouraging more Black men to get checked for prostate cancer, led by a University of Sunderland researcher
A study to encourage more Black men to get checked for prostate cancer, led by a University of Sunderland researcher, has received a funding boost of almost half a million pounds to continue its work on a larger scale.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, but Black African, Caribbean, and Black British men are twice as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer compared to White men, and 2.5 times more likely to die from the disease.
Building on the success of the Early diagnosis of PROstate CANcer for Black men (PROCAN-B) study, which focused on early diagnosis of prostate cancer for Black men, Dr Floor Christie-de Jong and her team have been awarded £499,245 by the charity Prostate Cancer Research to conduct the PROCAN-B+ study.
In the first study, also funded by Prostate Cancer Research, the team worked with Black African and Caribbean men over two years to develop an intervention to encourage timely discussion of prostate health and early diagnosis.
They created a workshop delivered by Black men for Black men, which featured small group discussions and activities, a Black GP explaining prostate cancer and what is involved in prostate cancer health checks, videos of Black women highlighting the importance of staying healthy for the sake of the family, and videos from religious leaders and prostate cancer survivors.
The workshop was run with 62 men in total in the north-east and Scotland.
One of the men who took part in the study said: “Honestly, I enjoyed the workshop, it taught me a lot. I went to my GP to check my prostate, and they gave me an appointment for a blood test.”
Now, the PROCAN-B+ study will test this workshop with 300 men across the north-east, London and Scotland.
Dr Christie-de Jong, Lead Researcher and Associate Professor in Public Health for Medicine at the University of Sunderland, said: "I’m absolutely delighted that Prostate Cancer Research will continue to support our work through the new PROCAN-B+ study.
“Half of the men will be invited to take part in the workshop, while the other half will receive information on prostate cancer checks in the usual way, for example, from a GP, and be offered the workshop later. This will help us determine the impact of the workshop and whether it really makes a difference.”
Dr Christie-de Jong, who is also Associate Director of Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, added: “Black African and Caribbean men are twice as likely to get prostate cancer and die from it compared to White men and we want to change that.
“In the long term, we hope this will improve early diagnosis and reduce inequalities in prostate cancer outcomes for Black men.”
The study will begin on March 1, 2026, and run for 30 months, strengthening efforts to reduce inequalities in prostate cancer outcomes among Black men.
The team, led by Dr Christie-de Jong, consists of researchers from the University of Sunderland’s School of Medicine, including Professor Scott Wilkes, as well as partners from the University of Glasgow, University College London, University of Exeter, NHS Scotland, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sunderland City Council and the Ubuntu Multicultural Centre CIC in Middlesbrough.
Professor Wilkes, Head of the School of Medicine and Professor of General Practice and Primary Care at Sunderland, said: “It’s an honour to be co-investigating with Dr Christie-de Jong and her team on such important work. Every week in my GP practice I see men with prostate symptoms and remain sad that we lack screening interventions to improve outcomes for men presenting with these symptoms.
“Dr Christie-de Jong has built up significant national and international traction with her public health work around cancer screening particularly in marginalised sectors of society. I’m looking forward to watching this work unfold over the coming years.”
John Kabuye, Director and Founder of the Ubuntu Multicultural Centre, said: “I am deeply encouraged by this vital investment in research focused on improving prostate cancer outcomes for Black men.
“The stark inequalities in diagnosis and mortality are unacceptable, and this funding represents an important step toward tackling a long-standing health disparity.
"Our community has waited far too long for action in this area, and we are proud to support work that will help more Black men get the checks they need, earlier and with greater confidence.”
Dr Naomi Elster, Director of Research at Prostate Cancer Research, said: “Prostate Cancer Research created the first funding stream dedicated to ending the disparities faced by Black men, and studies like this show exactly why it’s needed. There are still too many unanswered questions for us to level the playing field without research.
“The PROCAN-B+ study, grounded in community insight and led by a talented team, will answer vital questions and give us practical, powerful tools to close the gap. We’re proud to fund this work and excited about what it has the potential to deliver.”