We want the government to invest more to help develop a better test for prostate cancer

Spokesman, prostate cancer charity

It is most likely to emerge in older men, and its symptoms include the need to urinate more frequently.

Far more common is another condition, benign prostate hyperplasia, which is thought to affect a quarter of men aged over 40, and one in three men over 65.

The survey uncovered a remarkable degree of ignorance about the location and function of the prostate.

While some men thought the gland was part of the chest, brain, or gut, and was there to regulate weight or maintain healthy skin, only just over a third knew its correct function, to help keep sperm healthy.

New test needed

High profile campaigns have raised men's awareness of the disease, but experts say there is some way to go.

However, the Prostate Cancer Charity says that a more reliable test is needed before men can be routinely screened.

A spokesman said: "The difficulty with prostate cancer is that symptoms may not appear until the disease has invaded the bones and is quite advanced.

"The current test (prostate specific antigen, or PSA) has a very high false positive rate.

"We want the government to invest more to help develop a better test for prostate cancer.

"In the meantime, men who have any concerns, or who come from a family where there is a history of prostate cancer, should not be afraid to get checked out.

"Very often, their embarrassment is holding them back."