Overview

• Prostate Cancer UK FOI analysis found 24% of hospitals rely solely on NICE’s 2021 active surveillance guidance, while 35 have developed local protocols.
• The charity estimates that up to 5,000 men annually could forgo unnecessary radiotherapy or surgery if guidelines reflected modern diagnostic advances.
• Experts warn overtreatment risks erectile dysfunction and incontinence for men whose slow-growing cancers could be safely monitored.
• Professor Vincent Gnanapragasam described the current landscape as a “wild west” that undermines patient confidence in surveillance.
• NICE confirms it is updating its prostate cancer guideline, including active surveillance recommendations and PSA referral thresholds, as the National Screening Committee evaluates a potential screening programme.