More men in Cheshire and Merseyside were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2022, new figures show.

It comes as men across the UK are urged to check their risk during Men's Health Awareness Month.

New figures from NHS England show there were 2,321 men registered with prostate cancer in the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board in 2022 – a 26% increase on the year before.

Meanwhile, England saw a 26% increase in diagnoses in 2022, with almost 55,000 new cases identified.

Prostate Cancer UK said the data vindicates its campaign to find the 'missing men' not getting checked, but warned many were still being diagnosed too late.

Amy Rylance, assistant director of health improvement at the charity, said there was a "huge drop" in men getting tested for prostate cancer during the pandemic.

She added: "By early 2022, there were over 14,000 men missing a prostate cancer diagnosis.

"To find these 'missing men', we launched a major campaign with the NHS in 2022, and created our online risk checker which enables men to quickly find out their risk of getting prostate cancer and what they can do about it.

"At the time we saw record-breaking numbers of referrals with suspected cancer, and this data confirms the effectiveness of that campaign."

The figures also show men aged between 70 and 79 accounted for the largest proportion of prostate cancer diagnoses, with 40% of all cases found in men between these ages.

This was also the case in Cheshire and Merseyside.

The data also shows significant inequalities across England – north central London had the highest rate of diagnoses, with 275 cases per 100,000 people, while Lancashire and South Cumbria had the lowest rate, at 177 per 100,000.

In Cheshire and Merseyside there were 189 diagnoses per 100,000 people.

Men's Health Awareness Month runs throughout November. It aims to raise awareness of health issues affecting men of all ages, including prostate cancer.

Claire Taylor, chief nursing officer at Macmillan Cancer Support, said early diagnoses saves lives.

She urged those in a high-risk category, such as black men and men with a family history of earlier age cancer, to get checked.

Ms Rylance said despite the rise in testing, too many were being diagnosed too late.

Prostate Cancer UK is also calling on the Government to update NHS guidelines that prevent GPs from proactively talking to men most at risk about their options – a move it says could save thousands of lives a year.

NHS national cancer director Dame Cally Palmer said the NHS was diagnosing more cancers and working to raise awareness.

She added: "While staff have been working hard to see and treat more people with cancer than ever before, we know that some people are still waiting too long to receive a diagnosis or the all-clear, and there is more to do to ensure all patients receive high-quality and timely care.

"If you are worried about potential signs and symptoms of cancer, it is important that you contact your GP without delay."

Anyone concerned about prostate cancer can use Prostate Cancer UK's online risk checker at www.prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker, or visit www.macmillan.org.uk For more information.