By Francis Edge

Prostate cancer has become the third largest cause of cancer-related deaths in the UK.

New research shows 11,819 men die from prostate cancer each year - equivalent to one man every 45 minutes.

Prostate cancer overtakes breast cancer, which has seen a downward trend in fatalities since 1999.

According to Prostate Cancer UK, this decrease in breast cancer deaths is attributed to a screening programme and the extensive amount of research being carried out.

The charity adds there are “more than double the number of published breast cancer studies” than there are for prostate cancer.

Lung cancer and bowel cancer remain the two most common cancers to die from.

Prostate Cancer UK chief executive Angela Culhane said: "It's incredibly encouraging to see the tremendous progress that has been made in breast cancer over recent years.

"The introduction of precision medicine, a screening programme and a weighty research boost has no doubt played an important role in reducing the number of women who die from the disease.

"With half the investment and half the research it's not surprising that progress in prostate cancer is lagging behind.

"However, the good news is that many of these developments could be applied to prostate cancer and we're confident that with the right funding, we can dramatically reduce deaths within the next decade."

The charity did add that, even in the face of such troubling statistics, “men diagnosed today are two and a half times more likely to live for 10 years or more than if they were diagnosed in 1990”.

Prostate Cancer UK forecasts it requires an estimated £120 million for research over the next eight years.

If this is achieved, it go a long way to aiding the charity in reaching its goal of “halving the number of expected prostate cancer deaths by 2026”.

The charity is launching March for Men walks around the UK. The London March will be led by dancer and Celebrity Big Brother housemate Wayne Sleep, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015.

Mr Sleep said he “was one of the lucky ones - thankfully my prostate cancer was detected early, and I received treatment before it spread elsewhere”.

He added, however, that “thousands of other men are not so lucky, every year prostate cancer continues to claim the lives of nearly 12,000 fathers, brothers, partners and friends and this must stop."

The London March for Men will be taking place on Saturday, June 17 at the Olympic Park.