Overview
- Reports indicate the UK National Screening Committee is minded to advise against introducing a prostate screening programme on overdiagnosis and cost‑effectiveness grounds, with a recommendation due next month.
- A new analysis from Prostate Cancer Research estimates targeted checks would cost about £18 per patient, totaling roughly £25 million annually.
- The charity says delivery would require around five additional MRI scanners and 75 staff, with a projected 23% increase in PSA tests, scans and biopsies described as manageable for the NHS.
- The proposal targets men aged 45–69 who are black or have a family history, with modelling suggesting about £20,000 per additional year of life gained.
- Supporters including Rishi Sunak and Prostate Cancer UK urge implementation as the £42 million Transform trial proceeds to generate evidence expected to return to the committee in about two years, and ministers stress any move must be evidence‑led.