Prostate cancer screening should not be offered to most UK men, say experts
According to a large body of experts, a screening program for prostate cancer in the United Kingdom is not justified. Rather, they claim that only men with specific genetic mutations that result in more aggressive tumor formation are eligible. That will rule out black men who are double the risk and men with the disease running in their families. Sir Chris Hoy, a terminal prostate cancer survivor, was disappointed and saddened,
while Cancer Research UK said it supports the committee's expert report.
After more than a year of arduous campaigning and lobbying involving former prime ministers, celebrities, and campaigning organizations, it's a critical time. The National Screening Committee, which supports governments around the UK, has stated that there is no such thing as an unusual occurrence. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, killing 12,000 people around the country each year. It instinctively seems that screening for the disease should be straightforward: test for cancer, diagnose it, and save lives. However, it is still a much more complicated problem. Screening will be based on a blood test, followed by scans of the prostate and a biopsy. However, this can miss fatal cancers and identify those that do not need medical attention. Many prostate cancers progress so slowly you'll have to live to 120-150 years old before they were deemed a risk, so they do not need to be treated, according to the National Screening Committee. Their recommendations are based on a balance between lives saved by finding cancer early and those that leave patients unable to regulate their bladder or maintain an erection, although cancer was not likely to kill them.
These were not touch-and-goals views, according to the committee, because there was a strong consensus
on each of these recommendations. Certain cancers are increased by BRCA variants, and actress Angelina Jolie was notably pushed to have her breasts removed. About three out of every 1,000 men have BRCA variants, but many will be unaware unless they have family members who are recognized carriers. When asked whether they had not recommended that more men be screened for the disease, the National Screening Committee was asked to clarify why. Prof Freddie Hamdy, a Oxford urological surgeon, told me,
It cannot be done lightly,The diagnosis of prostate cancer in a healthy man is a very disruptive event, with the potential to influence quality of life for many years.
the 'snowball's insistent says.Before you know it, you are on the operating table with your prostate removed, and we see examples of this all the time," Prof. Hamdy said.
The decision by the screening committee is not the final word. Today is the start of a three-month inquiry before the committee reconvenes and gives its final recommendations to ministers in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, who will each have to make their own decision on prostate screening. Wes Streeting, England's Health Secretary, responded by saying he wants screening provided this is backed by evidence
and that he will investigate the evidence thoroughly
ahead of the final advice in March. The screening results have been divided. Cancer Research UK said it was good news
that screening was being carried out for men with abnormal BRCA genes and that they support the committee's conclusion
that testing could cause more harm than good for other groups of men. Sir Chris Hoy said he was very distraught and sad
that he had been a very small step forward
in the tests for men with BRCA variants, but that wasn't enough.
Lives are saved by early screening and diagnosis,I know, first hand, that by sharing my personal experience two years ago, many lives have been saved.
deeply distraughthe said. Laura Kerby, the CEO of Prostate Cancer UK, said she was
and that the decision wouldcome as a blow
a significant mistake that ignores modern evidence" and was a missed opportunity for Black men and those with a family history.to tens of thousands of men. The decision, according to Prostate Cancer Research, was
Lives saved, but what's the cost?
Transform, a large clinical trial, has now begun to investigate how screening could be expanded to other groups, including those with a family history and black men. Prof. Hashim Ahmed, who is assisting with the trial, said the findings were based on a solid piece of work
and that although some men would be dissatisfied, he felt the correct decision had been made.
he said. Cancer Research UK has used the most recent data from the UK National Screening Committee to determine the effects of screening. According to them, if you test 1,000 men aged 50 to 60: Twenty-eight: If you test 10,000 men aged between 50 and 60: Prosecutors will be Two: Lives would be saved. Twenty: Will beThere is a small benefit, but the risks of diagnosing, testing, and treating much more than outweigh these benefits,
overdiagnosed,implying that a slow-growing tumor that does not require treatment will be found. Twelve: Men are likely to have surgery or radiotherapy that doesn't benefit them, but there are risks, such as being unable to regulate your bladder or maintaining an erection.
