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1h ago

Long-Term European Trial Finds PSA Screening Cuts Prostate Cancer Deaths by 13%

UK health advisers are reassessing whether to introduce national or targeted checks in light of these long-term results.

After a simple blood test to measure prostate-specific antigen levels, a biopsy can determine whether cancer cells are present
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Overview

  • The UK National Screening Committee is reviewing the evidence for a screening programme, and current NHS practice relies on men requesting tests rather than routine offers.
  • The ERSPC trial tracked about 162,000 men aged 50–69 across eight European countries for roughly 23 years.
  • Offering regular PSA tests reduced prostate cancer mortality by 13%, preventing one death for every 456 men invited to screening.
  • Screening increased prostate cancer diagnoses by around 30% and brought harms including unnecessary testing, biopsies, overdiagnosis and overtreatment.
  • Researchers and clinicians say MRI-first pathways, targeted biopsies and improved treatments can reduce overtreatment, and the study advocates focusing screening on higher-risk groups.