UK Advisers Back Prostate Screening for Only a Few Thousand High-Risk Men
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 28
UK Advisers Back Prostate Screening for Only a Few Thousand High-Risk Men
6 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 28
The UK National Screening Committee recommended PSA screening only for a few thousand men with a BRCA2 variant and a family history of breast, ovarian, pancreatic or prostate cancer.
For 1,000 men screened in their 50s, the review found two prostate-cancer deaths prevented over 15 years, but 20 men would be overdiagnosed and 12 would receive unnecessary treatment.
The panel said those harms rule out screening for all men, Black men despite roughly double the risk, and men with family history alone; the eligible group would be invited every two years from ages 45 to 61.
Health ministers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will make the final decision, while the committee said new tests, AI tools and the UK Transform trial could still support wider screening later.
Why does the UK advise against screening high-risk Black men when the US has recommended it for decades?
What future tests could finally end the prostate cancer dilemma and make screening safe for all men?