UK experts recommend against widespread prostate cancer screening for most men
The Story
The UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) has issued its final recommendation to the government, concluding that widespread prostate cancer screening for most men using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test would likely cause more harm than good. The committee recommends screening only for men with the BRCA2 gene variant who also have a family history of certain cancers, advising tests every two years between ages 45 and 61. It recommended against screening for other at-risk groups, including black men, citing ongoing uncertainty. The decision has drawn criticism from campaigners including Sir Chris Hoy, David Cameron, and Sir Stephen Fry. This report is based solely on a single source, the Guardian.
Key Facts
- Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with over 64,000 men diagnosed each year, but there is no national screening programme.
- The UKNSC concluded widespread PSA screening is “likely to cause more harm than good,” with harms including incontinence and erectile dysfunction in men who do not need treatment.
- Screening is recommended only for men with a BRCA2 variant and a family history of breast, ovarian, pancreatic, or prostate cancers, as prostate cancer is more common, develops earlier, and can be more aggressive in this group.
- Between 21 and 35 of every 100 men with a BRCA2 variant will develop prostate cancer before age 80.
- The committee recommended against screening for black men due to “ongoing uncertainty on whether screening would cause more good than harm.”
- The UKNSC estimates its recommendation would lead to “a few thousand” men being screened each year.
- Prostate Cancer UK expressed “deep disappointment” and said more than 12,000 men die from prostate cancer annually.
- The government will consider the recommendation, with the health secretary meeting the UKNSC chair on Monday.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
What decision the UK government will make after considering the recommendation. How the NHS will identify and invite men with the BRCA2 variant for screening.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Prof Sir Mike Richards, chair of the UKNSC
- Sir Chris Hoy, six-time Olympic gold-medallist and campaigner
- David Cameron, former prime minister
- Sir Stephen Fry, actor and author
- Anneke Lucassen, professor of genomic medicine at the University of Oxford
- Amy Rylance, director of health services at Prostate Cancer UK
- James Murray, health secretary
- Freddie Hamdy, professor of surgery at the University of Oxford
- Dr Ian Walker, executive director of policy at Cancer Research UK
- Chiara De Biase, fundraising and health strategy director at Prostate Cancer UK
Sources: The Guardian
