Following the news that former Prime Minister David Cameron has been treated for prostate cancer following a routine check-up, Stroud MP and former GP Dr Simon Opher has urged men to get checked if they have any symptoms.
“Prostate cancer in this younger age group can be aggressive and difficult to treat, so it is worth screening for. A screening test must have a high degree of sensitivity – meaning that it should pick up cancer when it is present, and it should not pick up cancer where no cancer is present,” said Dr Opher.
“The reality is that the PSA blood test meets neither standard. It misses some cancers, which is heartbreaking, and it also flags up disease in men who don’t have it – exposing them to anxiety, invasive tests and sometimes treatment they never needed.
“There is some evidence that screening high risk men with the PSA test, and also combining with an MRI scan of the prostate area can pick up early disease. But offering MRI scans to every man over 50 simply isn’t feasible. We don’t have the scanners, and at around £250 per scan it would place an enormous strain on the NHS.
“Whilst prostate cancer is a serious and potentially lethal diagnosis in younger men, as yet there is no screening test that is acceptable to pick this up. What men can do is stay alert: if there’s a family history of prostate cancer, or symptoms such as a weak urine or having to get up a lot at night for a wee, then they should see their GP.”
Chiara De Biase, Director of Health Services, Equity and Improvement at Prostate Cancer UK commented: “We’re glad to hear that David Cameron found his prostate cancer at an early stage and had successful treatment. We thank him for sharing his story and in doing so raising vital awareness of this disease, which is completely curable if found early.
“But men’s lives should not be left to chance. We lose 12,000 dads, brothers, sons and friends to this disease every year. We’ve reached a tipping point in the UK, with too many men dying from a curable disease and worse outcomes for men at higher risk like Black men and men from working class communities. Prostate cancer is the last major cancer without a screening programme, and we need change now.
“Prostate Cancer UK was the only charity to submit evidence to the UK National Screening Committee back in 2022 showing that modern diagnosis is safer and more effective than ever, which we strongly believe has tipped the balance in favour of targeted screening for men at the highest risk of prostate cancer. But whatever the committee decides, men deserve a screening programme that is the safest and most effective it can be, and that can only be achieved through cutting-edge research.
“Last week we launched our £42 million TRANSFORM trial, a once-in-a-generation screening study that will unlock the future of screening for all men, making testing and diagnosis easier, quicker and safer for every man.”
