Wes Streeting urged to approve prostate cancer screening on NHS
Mr Streeting has previously suggested he would support a programme for men at higher risk if it is backed by evidence
More than 120 MPs, including former prime minister Rishi Sunak, have called on the Health Secretary to introduce a screening programme for those most at risk of prostate cancer.
Listen to this article
Lord David Cameron made similar calls for a targeted scheme earlier this week, as he revealed he has been successfully treated for the cancer.
In a letter to Wes Streeting, the cross-party group of MPs said the current system is “unstructured, inefficient and unfair”, with those in the most deprived areas more likely to die from the disease.
Black men and those with a family history of prostate, breast, or ovarian cancer are also at higher risk.
There is currently no screening programme because of concerns about the accuracy of prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests.
The UK’s National Screening Committee is currently assessing whether or not a national screening programme should be rolled out.
Read more: What to know about prostate cancer as David Cameron reveals his diagnosis
Read more: David Cameron reveals prostate cancer diagnosis after being urged to get tested by wife Samantha
Mr Streeting has previously suggested he would support a programme for men at higher risk if it is backed by evidence.
Signatories of the letter, which was co-ordinated by Prostate Cancer Research, are pressing the Government to act urgently to avoid further “preventable deaths”.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in males in the UK, with around 55,000 new cases every year.
Mr Sunak, who is a Prostate Cancer Research ambassador, said: “The evidence is now clear. Modern diagnosis is safer, more accurate, and has removed the harms that once justified inaction.
“With thousands of men still being diagnosed too late each year, when their cancer is no longer curable, we cannot continue with a system that relies on chance.
“A targeted screening programme for high-risk men is practical, affordable, and urgently needed. We must take this opportunity to save lives and make a generational difference to men’s health.”
Mr Sunak, Labour MP Calvin Bailey and Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan hand-delivered the letter to Mr Streeting on Monday.
Former prime minister Lord Cameron said he was urged to get tested by his wife, Samantha, after the pair heard the founder of Soho House, Nick Jones, speaking about his experience with the cancer on the radio a year ago.
He had a PSA test, an MRI scan and then a biopsy which confirmed the diagnosis.
“I know it’s not a slam dunk,” Lord Cameron told The Times.
“There are respectable arguments against a screening programme.
“You’ve always got to think how many cases do we discover and how many misdiagnoses are there and how many people will be treated unnecessarily.
“But it seems to me that quite a lot of things have changed over the last few years.
“The circumstances are changing. The arguments are changing, and so it’s a really good moment to have another look at this.”
Mr Bailey, chairman of the Prostate Cancer All-Party Parliamentary Group, said: “This is a defining moment. We are seeing deepening inequalities where men at increased risk are being turned away despite requesting tests, only to be diagnosed when it is too late.
“Families are bearing the emotional and financial devastation of a disease we have the tools to catch. We are handing this letter to the Health Secretary calling for change. The evidence is there, the political support is there – we just need it recognised by the National Screening Committee.”
Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrats’ health spokesperson, said: “We already have successful screening programmes for breast and bowel cancer, yet catching the most common cancer in men is left to chance. This is a glaring gap in our prevention-first health strategy.
“If we are serious about shifting the NHS from a sickness service to a prevention service, we simply cannot afford to ignore the evidence on prostate cancer any longer. We now have the tools to catch this devastating disease early, and it is time we used them.”
Oliver Kemp, chief executive of Prostate Cancer Research, said: “It is time to stop hiding behind outdated arguments. We know that pre-biopsy MRIs have halved overdiagnosis rates and overtreatment rates have fallen massively in the last decade.
“Other nations are moving ahead with risk-adapted testing. If the UK delays again, we are choosing to fall behind and fail another generation of men. Our campaign is calling on the public to join us in demanding a programme which we know to be practical, affordable, and morally essential.”