A national screening programme for prostate cancer should not be introduced for the majority of men in the UK, according to new recommendations from the UK National Screening Committee.
The expert group, which advises governments across the UK, said only a small number of men with specific BRCA genetic mutations should be considered for regular screening because they face a higher risk of developing aggressive forms of the disease.
The decision means most men including Black men who statistically face double the risk, and men with a family history of prostate cancer would be excluded under the proposed guidelines.
The recommendation comes after more than a year of campaigning by high-profile figures, charities and former prime ministers urging the government to introduce wider screening.
Sir Chris Hoy, who is living with terminal prostate cancer, said he was disappointed and saddened by the outcome.
Prostate cancer remains the most common cancer among men in the UK and causes about 12,000 deaths each year.
However, experts argue that offering screening to all men could lead to more harm than benefit. The screening process involves a blood test followed by scans and a biopsy, which can fail to detect dangerous cancers yet identify slow-growing ones that would never become life-threatening. Treating such cancers can result in long-term side effects, including incontinence and erectile dysfunction, affecting men whose cancers may never have required treatment.
Committee member and Oxford urological surgeon Prof Freddie Hamdy said diagnosing prostate cancer in healthy men could trigger a snowball of medical interventions that may ultimately do more harm than good. He stressed that men must be fully informed of the risks before undergoing any testing.
Although the committee reached a strong consensus on its recommendations, the decision is not final. A three-month public consultation has now opened, after which the committee will present its final advice to health ministers across the UK.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting welcomed the ongoing review, saying he would examine the evidence carefully before making a final decision.
The announcement has drawn mixed reactions. Cancer Research UK supported the committee’s conclusions, saying screening could cause unnecessary harm for most men. But Prostate Cancer UK said the decision would disappoint tens of thousands of men at higher risk, while Prostate Cancer Research described it as a missed opportunity.
Meanwhile, a major clinical trial known as Transform is underway to address evidence gaps and explore whether screening could be safely expanded to other high-risk groups, including Black men and those with a family history of the disease.
