Landmark prostate cancer screening trial begins in UK

The first men have been tested in a UK prostate cancer screening trial that could produce results within two years.

The Transform trial could produce results and lead to lifesaving changes in as little as two years.

Experts hope it will inform the future of population-wide prostate cancer screening for men by showing which tests, such as genetic tests or 10-minute MRI scans, can be combined.

Laura Kerby, chief executive of Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Men across the country are crying out for a screening programme and we’re committed to building a future where every man gets that chance.

“We know that a safe and effective mass screening programme could save thousands of men’s lives and it starts with these men walking through the door today and trialling these tests.

“They’re helping to build a future where prostate cancer is found early, consistently and fairly, and where no man’s diagnosis is left to chance.”

The trial comes as the UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC), which advises ministers, is due to publish its final guidance this week on screening men for the disease.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with 63,000 cases and 12,000 deaths each year, but unlike breast, bowel and lung cancer, there is currently no national screening programme.

In a draft recommendation last year, the UKNSC only recommended screening men with BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations every two years, between the ages of 45 and 61.

It would not recommend population screening using the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test because it may result in too many men undergoing unnecessary biopsies or surgery for tumours that would never have caused them harm in their lifetime.

However, a review by York Health Economics Consortium found the model used by the UKNSC relied on outdated data, diagnosis methods and treatments, failed to account for the impact of a coordinated screening programme on the UK’s existing testing landscape, and did not address serious population health inequalities.