We can’t miss this vital chance for national prostate cancer screening, says Rishi Sunak – as he urges men to get checked THIS week
Rishi Sunak is renewing his call for a ‘vital’ national prostate cancer screening program as he prepares to take part in an open testing day.
The former Conservative Prime Minister is urging men to get a check at one of six sessions across the country this week.
For the subsidized price of £12.50, men can book a potentially life-saving test that will check the health of their prostate and detect early signs of a tumour.
National Screening Day is on Saturday, but Prostate Cancer Research and the Graham Fulford Charitable Trust have also organized events for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Catching prostate cancer early increases the chances of survival, and treatment is often easier, cheaper and more effective.
It is the most common cancer in the UK, with 63,000 cases and 12,000 deaths each year; However, unlike breast, bowel and lung cancer, there is no national screening program.
The Daily Mail is campaigning to end needless prostate cancer deaths and for a national prostate cancer screening programme, initially targeting high-risk men, including black men, with a family history of the disease or certain genetic mutations.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Sunak said: ‘We are at a crucial time for men’s health in this country. ‘The government has a chance to save countless lives by launching a targeted screening programme.’
Former Conservative Prime Minister urges men to get checks at one of six hearings across the country this week
The Daily Mail is campaigning to end needless prostate cancer deaths and for a national prostate cancer screening program initially targeted at high-risk men
The UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) published draft guidance in November stating that checks should only be presented in very limited circumstances. For now, it has put forward a recommendation that only men with BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations, who are at significantly higher risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer, be screened every two years between the ages of 45 and 61.
Full screening using a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test is not recommended because it could lead to too many men having unnecessary biopsies or surgery for slow-growing tumors that may have never harmed them.
But a review by the York Health Economics Consortium found that the consortium relied on outdated data, diagnostics and treatments. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has the power to overrule the UKNSC, which will publish its final advice later this month.
Mr Sunak will attend a screening event at Ilford Wanderers RFC in east London on Saturday, open to all local men aged 40 and over, from 10am to 2pm.
Men can find testing events near them through the Prostate Cancer Research website.
Reservations are required and closes one day in advance. Results will be sent directly and confidentially to each participant.
David James from Prostate Cancer Research said: ‘Prostate cancer is currently the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK; however, it is the only major cancer for which there is no national screening program. This costs lives.
‘Too many men are diagnosed when the disease has spread, treatment has become difficult and chances of survival have decreased. ‘National Screening Day is a vital reminder of the problem.’
