The Government’s newly launched Men’s Health Strategy has reignited the debate around prostate screening. Prostate cancer is a common condition, but its screening methods have been criticised for being unreliable. As a result, there is currently no national screening programme for prostate cancer, despite frequent calls to provide one.

While it is important to note that there is an informed choice programme, allowing anybody over 50 with a prostate to request a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test via their GP, it is clear that people want to see a more structured approach.

Last week, the UK National Screening Committee (NSC) delivered its long-awaited draft recommendation on prostate screening. The Committee has recommended a targeted screening programme to people with a BRCA 1 or 2 mutation who would be automatically invited for testing. However, this left many wondering why other high-risk groups were not included.

We know that Black people and those with a family history of prostate cancer are at a higher-risk. However, the NSC has not advised that these groups be included in the screening offer, potentially leaving them at greater risk of being diagnosed at a later stage when their cancer is more difficult to treat.

Prostate cancer is very common, and not all cases are symptomatic or shorten a person’s life. In some cases, a person may die with the disease and never knew they had it. If we were to screen every person with a prostate, there is a risk of overtreatment that can dramatically affect someone’s health and wellbeing.

This is why there are “watchful waiting” and “active surveillance” pathways within prostate cancer that track people and their situations. Introducing a screening programme may place more people into these pathways, but with “virtual hospital pathways for men with raised PSA levels who are at risk of prostate cancer” described in the Men’s Health Strategy of England, we may have the digital infrastructure on the horizon to support the potential rise in patients.

The TRANSFORM trial is also underway to identify the best way of screening people for prostate cancer. As we know that Black men are twice as likely to receive a prostate cancer diagnosis, it is encouraging to see that at least 10% of TRANSFORM participants are Black men. We are keen to see the findings of this trial and how it will affect the Government’s position, and hope that it can remind them that Black men should not be left behind.

OUTpatients’ mission is to challenge inequalities in cancer. While the NSC has recommended a highly selective screening programme, it is ultimately up to the Secretary of State to decide how to implement any potential programme and, crucially, who is eligible.

If you would like to see a screening programme that includes people who have BRCA, are Black, or have a family history, join us in signing Prostate Cancer Research UK’s petition, calling for screening to be expanded to include these three groups.

This could save lives, and help to make sure that everyone can access the care they need.