Overview
- The UK National Screening Committee published final guidance on Thursday, May 28, 2026, advising against routine PSA screening for most men and recommending biennial screening only for men aged 45–61 who have a pathogenic BRCA2 variant plus a relevant family history.
- The committee said current PSA tests detect many slow, harmless cancers and that its modelling showed harms from overdiagnosis and overtreatment, including incontinence and erectile dysfunction, outweigh small absolute gains in prostate‑cancer mortality.
- UKNSC modelling estimated that of 1,000 men aged about 50–60 given a PSA test roughly 100 would test positive, about 28 would be diagnosed, around 20 would be overdiagnosed, about 12 overtreated and screening might save up to two lives.
- Charities, public figures and some politicians condemned the narrower recommendation and urged ministers to reject or widen it, and the UKNSC chair is due to meet Health Secretary James Murray as the government reviews the advice.
- Officials said the decision could be revisited as higher‑quality evidence appears, with ongoing trials such as Transform and new diagnostic methods (MRI and biomarkers) expected to inform future updates and policy changes.