Major changes are expected for prostate cancer testing in the UK, with a government advisory panel set to reject a nationwide screening programme. Instead, screening will likely be offered only to a small, high-risk group of men.
Targeted Screening Based on Genetics
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is poised to recommend that only men with specific faulty genes should be eligible for organised screening. The focus will be on men aged between 45 and 61 who carry the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic variants, which are already well-known for significantly increasing the risk of breast and ovarian cancers in women.
This decision means that only a few thousand men across the UK are expected to qualify for this targeted screening. It is estimated that roughly 1 in 260 men possesses one of these gene variants, highlighting the very specific nature of the new approach.
Current Testing and Broader Risk Groups
At present, the UK does not have a population-wide screening programme for prostate cancer, unlike those for breast or bowel cancer. However, the existing system does allow all men over the age of 50 to request a Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test from their GP.
Men in higher-risk categories, such as Black men and those with a family history of prostate cancer, are also encouraged to speak with their doctor about the potential benefits and drawbacks of undergoing a PSA test. This conversation is crucial because the PSA test is not definitive and can sometimes lead to over-diagnosis and unnecessary anxiety.
The Scale of the Disease and Charitable Campaigns
The push for better screening protocols is driven by the significant impact of prostate cancer across the nation. It holds the position as the second most common cancer in the UK, with approximately 55,300 new diagnoses and 12,200 deaths every year.
In response to these sobering statistics, many health charities have been actively campaigning for the introduction of more sophisticated, targeted screening for the most at-risk groups of men. The expected new guidelines represent a step towards this more personalised approach, though it falls short of the universal screening some advocates had hoped for.
