The UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) has recommended against a national prostate cancer screening programme for most men, concluding that widespread use of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is “likely to cause more harm than good”. The government will now consider the advice, which could be overruled by ministers.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with over 64,000 men diagnosed annually, yet there is currently no national screening programme. The UKNSC’s final recommendation, released after a review launched last year, states that screening should only be offered to men with the BRCA2 gene variant who also have a family history of certain cancers. These men should be screened every two years between ages 45 and 61.
The committee advised against screening for other at-risk groups, including black men, citing “ongoing uncertainty on whether screening would cause more good than harm”. Potential harms include incontinence and erectile dysfunction from unnecessary treatment. Prof Sir Mike Richards, chair of the UKNSC, acknowledged strong public support for screening but emphasised that many men live full lives without the disease causing harm, and current methods cannot reliably distinguish between harmful and harmless cancers.
The decision is a blow to campaigners such as Sir Chris Hoy, David Cameron, and Sir Stephen Fry. Prostate Cancer UK noted that only around one in 300 to 400 people have BRCA gene variations, though this rises to one in 40 among Ashkenazi Jewish people, who can access free NHS testing. The charity urged worried individuals to speak to their GP or use its online risk checker.
