According to the UK’s National Screening Committee, a nationwide prostate cancer screening programme for all UK men is not justified.
The expert group stated that routine testing should not be offered to men aged 45–61 carrying BRCA gene mutations associated with more aggressive cancers.
It excludes black men, who are at a double risk of cancer, and people with any family history.
The decision follows a year of multiple campaigns by known personalities, including Sir Chris Hoy, who has terminal prostate cancer.
He stated that he was “disappointed and saddened”, calling the advice a small step that does not go far enough. Cancer Research UK, however, backed the committee’s views, stating screening causes more harm than good for the general population.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in UK men, which causes nearly 12,000 deaths every year.
Screening is complex: scans,blood tests, and biopsies can miss dangerous cancers, while also identifying slow-growing cancers that would never cause harm.
Unnecessary treatments can cause more adverse effects such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
The committee concluded that in most men screening causes more harm than good.
Only men having BRCA gene mutations should be screened, as they are at a significantly higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer.
A large new study, Transform, is underway for stronger evidence to back this recommendation, particularly for black men and those with a family history.
