David Anderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on implementation of a national screening programme for prostate cancer.

Jane Ellison

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy.

The UK NSC re-affirmed in March 2012 that a national screening programme for prostate cancer should not be offered. This is because:

– The test for prostate cancer, the prostate specific antigen test, is not effective enough and does not identify a large proportion of men who in fact have prostate cancer;

– A positive test will lead in most cases to a biopsy, which often does not give a definitive answer and leads to anxiety and to further investigations; and

– Current research indicates for every 100,000 men at age 50 offered screening, 748 would end up being treated. The men accepting screening would have their lives extended on average by a day – while 274 men would be made impotent, 25 incontinent and 17 would have rectal problems as a result of the treatment.

The UK NSC is currently reviewing its recommendation on whether a national screening programme for prostate cancer should be offered. Ministers expect to receive a recommendation shortly.