A UK health advisory panel has recommended against introducing prostate cancer screening for the general male population, saying the harms would outweigh the benefits. The UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) instead advised targeted screening only for men with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations, who face a higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer. These men could be screened every two years between ages 45 and 61.
The committee found that widespread screening would lead to very high levels of overdiagnosis, detecting many slow-growing cancers that would never cause harm but could result in unnecessary treatment and severe side-effects. Evidence was also judged insufficient to recommend screening for Black men or for those with a family history of cancer, despite their higher risk.
The draft recommendation is open to a 12-week consultation before a final decision in March. While Cancer Research UK and the Royal College of GPs supported the evidence-based approach, charities such as Prostate Cancer UK, Prostate Cancer Research, and public figures including Stephen Fry, Rishi Sunak, and David Cameron expressed “deep disappointment.” They warned that excluding high-risk groups could worsen health inequalities.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he will thoroughly review the evidence, adding that he supports earlier diagnosis but must balance it against potential harms from unnecessary testing.
