Overview
- The UK National Screening Committee said population PSA testing is likely to cause more harm than good, citing modest mortality benefit alongside high overdiagnosis and risks such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
- Its draft advice proposes biennial screening for men aged 45 to 61 with confirmed BRCA1 or BRCA2 variants, representing a first targeted screening recommendation for prostate cancer.
- The committee declined to recommend proactive invitations for Black men or those with a family history, saying current evidence is insufficient, though men can still request a PSA test through their GP.
- A £42 million Transform trial has launched to test combinations of PSA, genetic risk markers and rapid MRI, with results expected in about two years to inform future policy.
- Health Secretary Wes Streeting will review the draft before March, charities voiced disappointment at the limited scope, and chair Sir Mike Richards disclosed he himself had prostate cancer and said recommendations could change if new evidence supports wider screening.