Former Prime Minister David Cameron has disclosed that he was treated for prostate cancer and is now calling for a targeted screening programme for the disease. The 59-year-old peer said he underwent a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test after being urged by his wife, Samantha, following a radio interview with Soho House founder Nick Jones about his own diagnosis.
Cameron told the Times that his PSA result was high, leading to an MRI scan and a biopsy that confirmed cancer. He received focal therapy, which uses electrical pulses to target and destroy cancer cells. He described the moment of diagnosis as 'dreadful', saying: 'You always dread hearing those words.'
The former Conservative leader emphasised the need for men to talk about their health, stating: 'Men are not very good at talking about their health. We tend to put things off.' He added that he wants to add his name to the list of those pressing for a targeted screening programme to detect cases earlier.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with around 55,000 new cases annually. There is currently no screening programme due to concerns over the accuracy of PSA tests. However, a major trial, the Transform project, has recently begun inviting eligible men to test promising screening techniques, backed by £16m from the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Prostate Cancer UK.
Chiara De Biase, director of health services at Prostate Cancer UK, thanked Cameron for raising awareness but stressed that 'men's lives should not be left to chance'. She noted that 12,000 men die from the disease each year in the UK, and called for change, highlighting disparities for black men and those from working-class communities.
