The postcode lottery facing men with prostate cancer in the West Midlands can today be revealed.

New figures show a man's chances of dying from prostate cancer – the most common cancer in men – vary according to where he lives.

The death rate in Dudley and Sandwell stands at 37.5 per cent above the national average with a rate of 33 deaths per 100,000 of the population, while figures for South Birmingham are 21 per cent below the national average rate of 24 deaths per 100,000 of the population.

Wolverhampton is 8.3 per cent below the average while Walsall is 4.2 per cent below.

Birmingham East and north and Solihull are 17 per cent below the average while South Staffordshire is eight per cent above, according to the Office for National Statistics.

There are more than 10,000 men living with prostate cancer in the West Midlands and nationally one man every hour dies from the condition in the UK.It is unknown why there are such fluctuations in survival rates but factors such as poverty could be part of it.

John Neate, chief executive of The Prostate Cancer Charity, said: "These new figures are of particular interest as they show a strong imbalance in death rates for men with prostate cancer across the country.

"While we can be encouraged that prostate cancer services have improved in recent years, this new data underlines that there is still much to be done in tackling the many inequities men with prostate cancer can face.

"Although it is not completely clear why these variations in death rates exist, we know that there are some key areas where rapid changes are needed to help improve a man's chances of being successfully treated.

"By ensuring every man has the opportunity to make an informed choice about having a test which can give early indication of possible prostate cancer, and can then access a range of effective treatment options, we hope that many more men will survive their cancer."