Overview
- The Albanese government on Thursday released NHMRC‑endorsed 2026 clinical guidelines developed by the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia with Cancer Council Australia to update screening policy after a decade.
- GPs are now expected to proactively offer or initiate discussion about PSA testing rather than waiting for patients to ask, expanding access to an initial test from age 45 for higher‑risk men and recommending routine two‑yearly testing for men aged 50–69.
- The new advice treats men over 70 differently by allowing two‑yearly testing when life expectancy exceeds seven years, and it defines high‑risk groups—including men with early family history, BRCA2 mutations, or Black sub‑Saharan ancestry—for earlier screening from 45.
- Multiparametric MRI is recommended before biopsy to cut unnecessary invasive procedures while keeping detection of clinically significant cancers, and active surveillance is formally endorsed to reduce overtreatment and avoid harms such as erectile dysfunction and incontinence.
- The federal government has provided $320,000 to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners for clinician education and the Prostate Cancer Foundation will seek Medicare subsidisation for expanded PSA testing and MRI use while implementation questions remain about MRI capacity and rural equity.