Thousands more UK black men to be invited for prostate cancer screening | Prostate cancer
Thousands more black men will be invited to take part in a prostate cancer screening trial as the health secretary insists he is “following the science” in not supporting population-wide testing.
James Murray accepted a recommendation from the UK national screening committee (UKNSC) that would result in only a few thousand high-risk men with the gene mutation being screened for the disease.
However, it did announce funding to expand the Transform trial, which is investigating the best ways to test for the disease, to make sure it includes more black men.
Prostate cancer is the most common form of the disease in the UK, with more than 64,000 men diagnosed each year.
Last week the UKNSC recommended that all men should not be screened using the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test, saying it “could cause more harm than good”.
Instead, men with the BRCA2 genetic mutation that puts them at much higher risk will be tested every two years between ages 45 and 61 if they have a family history of breast, ovarian, pancreatic or prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is more common in this group, develops earlier and may be more aggressive.
Between 21 and 35 in 100 men with the BRCA2 variant will develop prostate cancer before age 80.
As a result, it is estimated that “several thousand” men will be screened each year.
Dr Ian Walker, director of Cancer Research UK, said the decision would be “disappointing for some” but was in line with the evidence as there was some debate about the reliability of the PSA test.
The UKNSC also advised against screening for other at-risk groups, including black men, saying there was “ongoing uncertainty about whether screening will do more good than harm”.
The program is expected to be implemented in 2027.
Murray accepted the proposals on Tuesday and announced he would invest £20 million in prostate cancer research and treatment, including funding to expand the Transform trial.
It is estimated that one in 10 patients invited to the first phase of the study are black.
Black men aged 45 to 74 living in the UK will be able to take part in the second phase of the trial, provided they have not had a PSA test or MRI scan in the last five years.
Nick Jones, founder of private members club Soho House and a prostate cancer survivor and campaigner, accused the government of accepting a recommendation that “entrenched” injustices.
He said: “The current system is unfair and behind the times. Instead of redressing this injustice, the government has adopted a proposal that reinforces it.”
“Campaigners and community representatives have been trying to contact UKNSC for months and have been rebuffed.
“Imprinting this advice on government policy is not prudence, it is a dereliction of duty that will cost lives.”
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said: “The fight against prostate cancer is personal to me. I have two brothers living with the disease and I have seen first-hand the damage it does to individuals and their loved ones.”
“Helping more black men take part in this research is about saving lives, closing deadly inequalities, and making sure we understand what works best for those most at risk.”
