Clinical experts and charities stand with us on early detection after committee’s screening recommendation

Leading organisations from across the prostate cancer community have come together to call for action on early detection following the National Screening Committee’s decision to recommend prostate cancer screening only for men with BRCA gene variations. 

The British Association of Urological Surgeons, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Welsh Urological Society are among the professional bodies standing with us to highlight the importance of early detection. 

They’re joined by Movember, Tackle Prostate Cancer and several other health charities who’ve also added their voices to the statement. 

Together, we’re calling for more BRCA testing – to make sure men who have these genetic variations understand their higher risk.  

“There are up to 30,000 men aged 45-61 who will have the BRCA variant – but very few will know they have it as testing to date has focused on women, where the evidence around higher cancer risk and mitigations have been clearer for decades,” says our joint statement. 

“The NHS needs to offer BRCA testing to more men, starting by offering testing to male relatives of confirmed BRCA carriers.” 

Our joint message comes after the National Screening Committee announced its recommendation of prostate cancer screening only for men with BRCA gene variations.  

This will give tens of thousands of men their best chance of a potentially lifesaving early diagnosis. And it also represents a step in the right direction towards an even bigger screening programme that will one day invite all men for regular tests. 

But the committee says there isn’t yet enough evidence to start screening other groups of men who are at high risk of prostate cancer – including Black men and men with a family history of the disease. 

Standing alongside leading medical organisations and charities in the prostate cancer community, we’ve committed to continue working with policymakers to ensure the best guidance and support for men and health professionals. 

“The clinical and charity experts in prostate cancer remain committed to supporting the early detection of clinically significant prostate cancer, while avoiding unnecessary investigation and treatment,” the statement continues. 

“We will work with national bodies to strengthen NHS guidance, reduce variation and ensure clarity for patients and clinicians. This is particularly crucial for other groups of men who face higher risk – Black men and those with a family history.” 

We also want to see “clear guidance, appropriate resources and access to effective risk assessment tools” to help GPs talk to men about their risk of prostate cancer right now. 

“The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) have recommended targeted prostate cancer screening for men with a BRCA gene variation. This is an important development in early detection, supported by advances in diagnostic pathways that make testing safer and more accurate than in the past. 

“The clinical and charity experts in prostate cancer remain committed to supporting the early detection of clinically significant prostate cancer, while avoiding unnecessary investigation and treatment. We will work with national bodies to strengthen NHS guidance, reduce variation and ensure clarity for patients and clinicians. This is particularly crucial for other groups of men who face higher risk – Black men and those with a family history of prostate cancer. 

“General practitioners should be supported with clear guidance, appropriate resources and access to effective risk assessment tools to enable informed discussions with patients. This should include the wider availability of existing online tools and national awareness campaigns to ensure men understand their individual risk and testing options. 

“There are up to 30,000 men aged 45-61 who will have the BRCA variant – but very few will know they have it as testing to date has focused on women, where the evidence around higher cancer risk and mitigations have been clearer for decades. The NHS needs to offer BRCA testing to more men, starting by offering testing to male relatives of confirmed BRCA carriers. 

“Evidence from large-scale studies, particularly Prostate Cancer UK’s TRANSFORM trial, will remain central to finding evidence that allows us to extend screening safely to men not covered by this recommendation.”