A UK expert health panel has advised against introducing prostate cancer screening for the general male population, saying the harms would outweigh the benefits. The UK National Screening Committee instead recommended targeted screening only for men with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene variants, who could be tested every two years between ages 45 and 61.
The committee concluded that widespread screening would lead to high levels of overdiagnosis, as many detected cancers are slow-growing and would never cause harm. Evidence was also deemed insufficient to recommend screening for Black men or those with a family history of cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer in the UK, with 55,300 diagnoses and 12,200 deaths each year, yet no national screening programme exists due to the PSA test’s unreliability.
Reactions were mixed. Cancer Research UK and the Royal College of GPs supported the evidence-based decision. However, Prostate Cancer UK, Prostate Cancer Research, and public figures including Stephen Fry, Rishi Sunak, and David Cameron expressed “deep disappointment,” warning that excluding high-risk groups could worsen health inequalities.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he would review the evidence before a final recommendation is made in March.
