A UK government health panel has advised against introducing prostate cancer screening for most men, saying the harms would outweigh the benefits. The UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) only recommended screening for men with confirmed BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene variants, who are at higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer. These men could be screened every two years between ages 45 and 61.
The committee found that widespread PSA testing would lead to high levels of overdiagnosis, detecting many slow-growing cancers that would never cause harm but could result in unnecessary treatment and side-effects. Evidence for screening Black men—who face a higher risk—was deemed insufficient.
Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer in the UK, but there is no national screening programme due to the unreliability of the PSA test. About one in 300–400 people carry a BRCA gene variant, often without knowing.
Reactions were mixed: Cancer Research UK and the Royal College of GPs supported the evidence-based recommendation, while Prostate Cancer UK, Prostate Cancer Research, and public figures such as Stephen Fry and Rishi Sunak expressed “deep disappointment,” arguing that high-risk groups are being overlooked.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he will thoroughly review the evidence before a final recommendation is made in March.
