Why prostate cancer is expected to be left as the only major cancer without national screening

Prostate crab is expected to stay the lone large crab not to person a nationalist screening programme nether caller recommendations from authorities advisers.

The National Screening Committee, which is made up of doctors and economists, says the harms outweigh the benefits for screening each men successful their 50s and 60s.

Instead, the committee will urge screening lone for the 1 successful 260 men who person inherited the BRCA cancer gene.

The large problem? They whitethorn not cognize they person the gene, truthful they won't beryllium screened.

BRCA is sometimes known arsenic the 'Jolie gene', named aft the histrion Angelina Jolie, who had a preventative treble mastectomy aft being told she had the cistron and an 87% hazard of bosom cancer.

The mutated cistron besides increases the hazard of prostate cancer. One successful 3 men with the cistron is apt to make assertive disease.

But usually men volition lone cognize they whitethorn person inherited the BRCA cistron if their parent oregon sister has had bosom oregon ovarian crab astatine a young property - and the pistillate comparative has had cistron investigating arsenic a result.

However, antheral relatives whitethorn not person been told oregon recognize the implications for them. They whitethorn beryllium successful the dark, not person BRCA investigating themselves, and truthful ne'er travel guardant for prostate screening.

The PSA humor test, which is the archetypal measurement successful prostate screening, has pitfalls.

Yes, it flags men who whitethorn person cancer.

But it doesn't find whether the crab is assertive and life-threatening. So it tin pb to immoderate men having attraction that is risky but unnecessary.

The committee wants to hold for clearer grounds earlier giving the greenish light.

Its draught recommendations volition beryllium enactment retired for nationalist consultation, with charities and campaigners expected to lobby for different high-risk men to beryllium included successful screening.

Black men are astatine doubly the hazard of prostate cancer. And including men with a adjacent comparative who has had prostate, bosom oregon ovarian crab astatine a young property would side-step the problems successful BRCA testing.

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Men similar Olympian Sir Chris Hoy, who has a household hazard but was diagnosed lone erstwhile his prostate crab was advanced, person made a beardown lawsuit for targeted screening.

The committee isn't convinced.

But adjacent if the last recommendations don't alteration erstwhile the nationalist consultation is complete, it is Health Secretary Wes Streeting who volition marque the last decision. And helium volition beryllium much delicate to politics.