A UK health advisory panel has recommended against offering prostate cancer screening to most men, saying the harms outweigh the benefits. The UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) concluded that widespread PSA testing would lead to high levels of overdiagnosis, detecting many slow-growing cancers that would never cause harm but could result in unnecessary treatment and serious side-effects.
Instead, the committee advised a targeted screening programme only for men with confirmed BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene variants, who are at higher risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer. These men could be screened every two years between ages 45 and 61.
Despite prostate cancer being the most common male cancer in the UK, the PSA test remains unreliable. Evidence was also deemed insufficient to recommend screening for Black men or those with a family history of the disease, despite their higher risk.
Charities and public figures including Stephen Fry, Rishi Sunak, and David Cameron expressed disappointment, warning that many high-risk men could face late diagnoses. Others, including Cancer Research UK, supported the evidence-based decision.
The draft recommendation is now open for consultation, with a final decision expected in March.
