Prostate Cancer UK is urging a revision of current NHS guidelines on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing following promising results from two clinical trials. The charity’s findings suggest that PSA tests significantly reduce the number of deaths from prostate cancer, despite past concerns regarding the reliability of such tests.
Currently, doctors are authorized to offer PSA tests only to men exhibiting symptoms of prostate cancer. High-risk individuals, including men over 50, black men, and those with a family history of the disease, are not proactively screened unless they present symptoms. This practice aims to prevent unnecessary tests and invasive procedures, such as biopsies, for patients who do not have cancer.
While the NHS acknowledges that elevated PSA levels can result from non-cancerous conditions, the tests cannot definitively determine whether cancer is present. Dr. Matthew Hobbs, director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, argues that the existing guidelines contribute to late diagnoses and exacerbate inequalities across the UK healthcare system.
“Historically, the evidence that PSA testing saved lives was weak, and there was strong evidence that testing caused harm,” Dr. Hobbs stated. “Now, the situation has changed; we have strong evidence from two separate trials that PSA testing does reduce the number of men who die from prostate cancer.”
The trials conducted by Prostate Cancer UK revealed that combining PSA testing with pre-biopsy MRI scans can decrease the risk of potential harm from the disease by 79% compared to men who only underwent the standard biopsy procedure.
With over 52,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer annually, making it the most common cancer among men, the need for updated screening guidelines is urgent. Common symptoms of the disease include difficulty urinating, an increased urge to urinate, and blood in urine or semen.
Clive Efford, Labour MP for Eltham and Chislehurst, shared his personal experience with prostate cancer, having been diagnosed in November 2023. He criticized the dismissive attitude of his doctors when he requested a test, despite a family history of the disease. “This new report makes it clear that this reluctance from my doctors was unfounded and outdated,” Efford remarked, emphasizing the need for a change in guidelines.
High-profile figures, including Sir Rod Stewart, who publicly disclosed his battle with prostate cancer in 2019, have stressed the importance of regular testing. The death of BBC presenter Bill Turnbull in 2022 and comedian Stephen Fry’s diagnosis in 2018 further highlighted the need for increased awareness and proactive screening.
In response to these concerns, an NHS spokesperson affirmed the commitment to employing proven cancer screening techniques and collaborating with the government to update UK screening guidance. The Department for Health and Social Care has announced a £16 million investment aimed at discovering new methods to detect prostate cancer early, ultimately providing patients with the best chance of survival.
