By Lauren Haughey

Copyright walesonline

The Department of Health and Social Care has released a major update following thousands of Britons’ demands for changes to prostate cancer testing as part of a parliamentary campaign. The petition sought to make PSA testing routinely accessible to men at elevated risk, given that prostate cancer is the most common form of the disease amongst men in the UK. PSA tests assess the level of prostate-specific antigen in the blood and are frequently utilised by the NHS to identify prostate issues. Nevertheless, these examinations aren’t routinely offered within the health service, nor are they part of a national screening programme. Despite the petition arguing that it’s ‘time to review NHS guidelines’ and ‘invest in an early detection programme’, the Government department has ‘no plans’ to do so with PSA tests. Its reasoning was primarily centred on current ‘limitations’ in PSA testing, which make it unsuitable for screening ‘men with no symptoms’. In an online update, posted on September 12, the Department of Health and Social Care said: “The Government has no current plans to require PSA blood tests to be proactively offered to men at highest risk of prostate cancer, because the evidence does not support this.” The response continued: “Whilst it is recognised that the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test can be a valuable diagnostic tool in certain contexts, such as for men who present with symptoms, its limitations mean that it is not currently recommended for population-level screening, i.e. screening men with no symptoms. “This is because elevated PSA levels can be caused by non-cancerous conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostatitis, or recent physical activity. This results in high rates of false-positive results, leading to unnecessary anxiety, invasive biopsies, and potential overtreatment. “For example, a diagnosis via a biopsy and treatment (prostatectomy and radiotherapy) carries risks of life-changing harm, such as urinary and faecal incontinence, sexual dysfunction, as well as a smaller but serious risk of sepsis.” Beyond this, the Government department highlighted that certain prostate cancers might not trigger raised PSA levels, potentially resulting in false-negative outcomes that offer ‘deceptive reassurance’. Consequently, the UK National Screening Committee, which advises the department, ‘currently considers that these potential risks outweigh the benefits of population screening’. The online response added: “As part of its commitment to keep its recommendations under review, the UK NSC has commissioned a new evidence review for prostate cancer screening. This covers modelling of the clinical effectiveness and cost of several approaches to prostate cancer screening. “It includes different potential ways of screening the whole population, and targeted screening aimed at groups of people identified as being at higher-than-average risk, such as black men or men with a family history of cancer. “The modelling and evidence reports are now complete, and are being considered by the UK NSC and experts. Subject to no further revisions being required, the UK NSC plans to hold a public consultation towards the end of 2025. After this, the UK NSC will make a recommendation. Ministers will then be asked to consider whether to accept the recommendation.” Nevertheless, the Government has put £16 million into working with Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK) to launch its £42 million TRANSFORM trial. This nationwide study aims to compare the most effective tests for spotting prostate cancer, marking the biggest prostate cancer screening trial in two decades. As part of this initiative, the department has ensured that one in 10 people invited to participate in the trial will be a Black man, recognising the greater risk Black men face of developing prostate cancer. The online response added: “The Government agree that too many men are dying from prostate cancer. Any death from cancer is a tragedy, which is why this Government will publish a National Cancer Plan later this year. The Plan will have patients at its heart, with the goal to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer.” The petition, titled ‘Review and fund improved detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer’, has garnered just over 12,000 signatures so far. Should it reach more than 100,000, it will be considered for a debate in Parliament. You can view the petition in full here .