The case for a national screening programme for prostate cancer is overwhelming – we must act now
3 min read
Prostate cancer has a devastating impact on men and families across the UK.
Despite it being our country’s most common cancer in men, our approach to detection has been too passive for too long. The result is more than 12,000 families every year who are left without the anchor of a dad, the wisdom of a grandfather, or the friendship of a brother or son.
As prime minister, I began work on how we could change our approach to this disease. Since leaving office, I have been working with Prostate Cancer Research, and my time with them has left me more convinced than ever of the urgent need for action. I have had the privilege of meeting dozens of prostate cancer sufferers; men like Alfred and Brian. Both were diagnosed when the disease was too advanced to be curable.
If caught early, survival rates are close to 100 per cent. But when caught late they plummet, dropping below 50 per cent at five years and below 20 per cent at 10 years. Both Alfred and Brian have beaten their doctors’ expectations, but they know their luck will one day run out. With screening, the story of the last decade for both men could have been very different.
The new NHS 10-Year Plan rightly prioritises preventative care, early diagnosis, and tackling health inequalities. A national, targeted screening programme for prostate cancer is precisely the kind of forward-thinking intervention our health service – and our economy – needs. By moving from reactive treatment to proactive detection, we can dramatically improve outcomes for thousands of men and reduce the need for intensive and expensive late-stage interventions, all while delivering benefits for our economy and society.
For too long, progress on screening has been hampered by objections about the practicalities of rolling it out at scale. However, the landscape is changing. Prostate Cancer Research is set to launch a landmark report, Prostate Cancer Screening: The Impact on the NHS, which provides a clear path forward. This report, which I urge all my colleagues to read, makes a compelling case that a targeted screening programme for high-risk groups is a practical first step while we await results from a number of promising new technologies, that will further improve accuracy. Targeted screening would place minimal demands on NHS budgets and workforce considering the major improvements to health outcomes and quality of life it would deliver.
This is not just a clinical or economic imperative; it is a moral one. We, as Members of Parliament, have all come here to improve our constituents’ lives. Screening would save lives and reduce entrenched inequalities in some of our most vulnerable communities. It is rare when a case for intervention is so clear.
To that end, I want to extend a personal invitation to all my parliamentary colleagues. On Tuesday 14 October, Calvin Bailey MBE MP, the Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and I will be co-sponsoring an event on behalf of Prostate Cancer Research in the House of Commons to launch its vital new report. This will be an opportunity to hear directly from experts and those with the disease, to understand the data, and to see the clear, costed path forward.
By supporting calls for a national screening programme, we can make a generational impact on men’s health, strengthen our NHS, deliver the preventative care strategy our country needs and give thousands of families more precious years together.
