Rishi Sunak has called for a national rollout of targeted prostate cancer screening, urging the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) to act swiftly to save lives.
In his first major public intervention since stepping down as prime minister, Mr Sunak advocated for proactive PSA blood testing for high-risk groups, particularly men with a family history of the disease or from higher-risk ethnic backgrounds, such as Black men.
Sunak addresses the media
When speaking to the media, he highlighted the low awareness among men that just 7% know that prostate cancer is often symptomless in its early stages and urged families to use Father’s Day to start conversations that could be life-saving.
“We assume that if everything is working fine, it is fine,” he said. “But that is not right, and this confusion is costing lives.”
The UK NSC is expected to rule by the end of the year on whether to recommend screening.
Campaigners and health experts say the current system, where men must request tests themselves, is passive and worsening health inequalities.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in UK men, with over 55,000 new diagnoses a year. It claims more than 12,000 lives annually. Early diagnosis greatly improves treatment outcomes.
The CEO of Prostate Cancer Research, Oliver Kemp, said a targeted screening programme could prevent 300 cases of incurable prostate cancer every year and has strong support from GPs.
