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The UK currently lacks a national, population-wide screening programme for the disease
Jane KirbyFriday 28 November 2025 08:15 GMTComments
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The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is poised to deliver its recommendations to the Government on Friday regarding expanded prostate cancer screening for men.
Currently, the UK lacks a national, population-wide screening programme for the disease, despite persistent calls from cancer charities and prominent figures for increased testing, particularly for those at highest risk.
However, the committee's position maintains that the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test – often the initial diagnostic step – is insufficiently accurate for use as a primary screening tool.
Its review of evidence highlighted that the test frequently misses numerous prostate cancers that could benefit from early intervention, while elevated PSA levels can occur in the absence of cancerous growth.
Furthermore, the PSA test can identify indolent cancers that would never pose a threat during a man’s lifetime, potentially leading to unnecessary overtreatment and the associated risks of severe side-effects, such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
General practitioners are presently authorised to offer a PSA test to any male patient if they suspect symptoms indicative of prostate cancer.
open image in galleryThe current position of the committee is that the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test, which is usually the first step towards a diagnosis, is not accurate enough as a primary screening testMen aged 50 or over can also ask their doctor for a PSA test even if they do not have symptoms.
The national screening committee will make its recommendation at 3pm on Friday, which is subject to consultation.
Its members, led by Professor Sir Mike Richards, a former NHS national cancer director, have been considering a range of scenarios where more men could be screened.
These include more PSA testing for men with a family history of the disease or whose ethnicity puts them at higher risk.
Targeted screening for carriers of the BRCA2 gene has also been examined, alongside wider screening for men aged 45 to 70, split into low and high risk groups.
Most cases of prostate cancer are in men over the age of 65 and the risk goes up every year.
Black men have double the risk of prostate cancer, while those men whose brother or father have prostate cancer have a two to four-fold greater risk of developing the disease.
The BRCA2 gene mutation is also linked to a higher chance of developing prostate cancer at a younger age.
open image in galleryThe UK National Screening Committee will make recommendations to the Government on Friday on whether it believes more men should be screened for prostate cancer (PA)A major new prostate cancer screening trial, backed by £42 million of funding from Prostate Cancer UK and the Government, is looking at whether using MRI or other scans, combined with PSA, could tip the balance in favour of a nationwide screening programme.
The Transform trial, which is recruiting patients, is looking at whether a screening strategy would reduce deaths from prostate cancer while minimising harms from overdiagnosis and overtreatment.
The screening committee has worked with Prostate Cancer UK on the trial design to maximise the chance it will provide evidence that will help the committee make a recommendation for population screening.
Earlier this week, former prime minister David Cameron revealed he has been treated for prostate cancer.
Lord Cameron, 59, told The Times he went for testing after listening to a BBC radio interview with entrepreneur and prostate cancer patient Nick Jones, who is campaigning for more men to be tested.
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