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Lord Cameron underwent successful non-invasive treatment for prostate cancer, he disclosed
James C. ReynoldsSunday 23 November 2025 21:39 GMTComments
open image in galleryLord Cameron revealed his cancer diagnosis on Sunday (PA Archive)
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David Cameron has disclosed that he was diagnosed with cancer as he called upon the government to introduce targeted screening.
The former prime minister, 59, said that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, after being encouraged to get tested by his wife, Samantha.
Lord Cameron told The Times that he wanted to add his name to the long list of people calling for a targeted screening programme.
“I would feel bad if I didn’t come forward and say that I’ve had this experience. I had a scan. It helped me discover something that was wrong. It gave me the chance to deal with it,” he said.
Following his diagnosis, he said he wanted to support a call by the charity Prostate Cancer Research for screening to be offered to men deemed at high risk.
open image in galleryLord Cameron spoke candidly about his recent diagnosis (PA Wire)Lord Cameron said he was diagnosed with cancer after taking a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, looking for key proteins linked to the cancer. A biopsy confirmed the diagnosis.
"You always dread hearing those words," he told The Times.
“I had this decision to make, which lots of people with prostate cancer have,” he said.
“Do you watch and wait? Or do you look at what the treatment options are? Do I want to take the risk of not acting, or do I want to take the risks of acting?”
Lord Cameron said he elected to have focal therapy, where needles deliver electric pulses to destroy cancerous cells. After the successful treatment, he was given another MRI scan in June.
He acknowledged his "platform", adding: "This is something we've really got to think about, talk about, and if necessary, act on."
As prime minister, he launched the 100,000 Genomes Project in 2012, where the genomes of 100,000 NHS patients with a rare disease or cancer were sequenced.
open image in galleryFormer prime minister Lord Cameron served as foreign secretary under Rishi Sunak from 2023-24 (EPA)Lord Cameron last year became chairman of the advisory council for a body aimed at developing new treatments for rare genetic diseases.
The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre is a partnership between the University of Oxford and the Harrington Discovery Institute in Cleveland, Ohio.
Writing in The Times, Lord Cameron said the cause is close to his heart, having lost his son Ivan to a rare genetic disease 15 years ago.
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