Why the rejection of a national prostate cancer screening programme could mean a death sentence for men like me: KEITH MORGAN

One in four black men will develop prostate cancer. For the rest of the population, this rate is one in eight. These are shocking statistics, but as a black man in his forties, these aren’t just numbers to me.

I have lost count of how many of my friends, family members, and colleagues have been diagnosed with this often life-threatening disease.

Prostate cancer has been in the spotlight lately, and rightly so. It is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with more than 63,000 diagnoses and 12,000 deaths each year. Early diagnosis can make a big difference, but in the absence of a routine screening program it remains the most common cancer.

I have not only a personal interest in this topic, but also a professional one. As deputy director of Black Health Equity at Prostate Cancer UK, I have dedicated my life to this issue.

So I was deeply disappointed when the UK National Screening Committee announced yesterday its advice against routine screening for most men – even black men, who are at much higher risk. But I’m definitely not giving up.

For the first time, the committee recommended screening a single group: men with BRCA gene variations that increase a man’s risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer.

This is a significant step forward and reflects something we have believed for years: Advances in diagnostics, particularly MRIs and advanced biopsy techniques, are changing what scanning can look like. The evidence base is changing and we are helping to change it.

The committee also acknowledged that black men with higher rates of late diagnosis were more likely to benefit from screening and that the only reason they could not make a recommendation was uncertainty in the available data.

Former prime minister David Cameron (pictured) revealed last week that he was being treated for prostate cancer

This is exactly why Prostate Cancer UK has committed £1 million to real-world evidence studies, drawing on sources such as health records, health insurance claims and disease registers, to rapidly strengthen what we know about risk in black men.

That’s why we’re leading the £42 million Transform trial, the largest and most ambitious prostate cancer screening study in two decades.

The trial will begin to produce results in as little as two years, which could eventually make safe and effective screening a reality for all men. I understand the concerns that shaped the committee’s decision. Prostate cancer is not always life-threatening, and treatment can have serious side effects.

But diagnosis has changed dramatically in recent years, with more accurate tests, clearer risk assessments and better information to guide decisions. We are not where we were ten or even five years ago.

Until the evidence is strong enough to warrant a screening program, too many men will face late diagnoses, too many men will be unaware of their risk, and too many families will feel the consequences.

We owe it to all men, especially black men who face double the risk, to continue moving forward, and we will do so. Prostate cancer is treatable when detected early, and we are committed to providing the evidence that will make screening a reality for everyone who needs it.

• Keith Morgan is deputy director of Black Health Equity at Prostate Cancer UK.