The Prostate Cancer Charity is launching prostate cancer awareness week. What do you hope to accomplish?

Chris Hiley:We want the general public to know that prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the UK. We want to make this most common cancer common knowledge. If we can raise awareness of prostate cancer purely because of that, hopefully we will encourage more men to take an interest in their health and help more people to understand that this is a big issue and deserves new funds for research and services.

What will you be doing throughout the week?

Chris Hiley:We have all sorts of things going on - some national and some regional. We've got a big launch going on in Covent Garden with Chris Tarrant on Monday 24th. It's a balloon launch - the balloons will symbolise the number of men who are now being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

For the first time this year we will have various support groups from up and down the country present at the launch so it's a bigger event than before. The Scottish Association of Prostate Cancer Support Groups, The Central Midlands PSA Group, APPLE from Essex and London, PSA, The Kidderminster & District Prostate Cancer Support Group and Prostate Research Campaign UK and Prospect from Bristol.

What were the results of the ICM poll you commissioned?

Chris Hiley:We think that one of the aspects about prostate cancer that makes raising its profile a particular challenge is that no one actually knows much about the prostate gland. We conducted a poll to find out how many people know what the prostate gland does and found that 87 per cent of the population don't know. Only 13 per cent had any idea that it is to do with producing fluid for semen. The rest mostly thought its got something to do with urine.

So again, this is something we've got to do more work on - make sure that people know more about what the prostate gland does.

Why is there this mystery about prostate cancer?

Chris Hiley:I suspect it is because it affects older men and because it's a long way in the future for a lot of people. We don't value older men as much as we should. Whcxih is odd as all men have never have a better chance of becoming older men than they do now. Men should take more of an interest now and aspire to a comfortable and healthy old age. Putting off thinking about it until your older is probably a bit late.

What is the Charity going to be doing to encourage more awareness of the disease?

Chris Hiley:There is always a lot of interest when you have got celebrity support. We are always looking for more celebrity support and we're very grateful to Chris Tarrant for repeating his support from last year.

In addition, plugging away in the background is the work we do with the regional and local newspapers. Because, of course, prostate cancer is always a local story. Prostate cancer means a man who has it and how it affects his family. That's the reality of prostate cancer which so many men are living with. Our approach is to cover the big national picture using big national statistics but also using the personal and local stories which are significant at a community level. This is where the experience of prostate cancer has most meaning.

Is the department of health going to be involved next week?

Chris Hiley:I believe we have a good relationship with the Department of Health and I understand that there will be one or two representatives from there, present at the launch. It'll be an opportunity for them to see the Awareness Week team, from across a range of prostate cancer organisations, in action. It makes such a huge difference when we speak with one voice. Prostate cacner is now being more recognised as being a major issue which is linked to a lot of legitimate public health concerns.

If you had one priority for the department to address, what would that be?

Chris Hiley:I think I'd like them to publicise the PSA test more widely and to tell men that they have this choice they can make and that they should be more informed about it. We are not setting out to encourage men to ask for a PSA test. That is entirely up to the individual as it's a complicated balance of risks and benefits that any man must take into consideration. But we do believe it is important that men are equipped with the information they need to make informed choices about their health..and to know that they can seek a PSA test - and perhaps more importantly information about it - from their GP if they feel this is the right thing to do.