Key Summary
- The NSC said that routine prostate cancer screening is not required by all.
- Instead, they suggested that only the targeted risk group can do it.
- They will continue to work closely with UK researchers.
The UK National Screening Committee (NSC) said that prostate cancer screening of the whole population is not recommended.
They recommended a targeted screening programme, involving PSA testing every two years, for men aged 45 to 61 who have a pathogenic (able to cause disease) BRCA2 variant with a family history of breast, ovarian, pancreatic, or prostate cancer.
They mention that the best method of identifying and inviting the above high-risk group should be evaluated over time.
The committee will continue to work closely with UK researchers, including the TRANSFORM trial, to address uncertainties in the evidence regarding targeted screening of black men and other risk groups.
They concluded that universal screening is more likely to cause harm than good. Especially for men with a family member who has had breast, ovarian or prostate cancer but who do not have a BRCA2 variant.
For black men, there is ongoing uncertainty as to whether screening would cause more good than harm. The main harms of prostate cancer screening include incontinence and erectile dysfunction in men who do not need treatment.
A recent study by Oxford University found that men are getting over-tested for prostate cancer, while those needing care may be getting overlooked.
In the study published in the British Medical Journal, the researchers examined the records of more than 10 million men in England, and found they are being given prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests far more than recommended.
