Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged the incoming political leadership in the United Kingdom to reconsider a rejected plan for prostate cancer screening, stating that a targeted program for high-risk men could save lives. Sunak expressed disappointment with the current government's decision not to proceed with a large-scale rollout.
He suggested that the next health secretary should task the UK National Screening Committee with re-examining the issue, taking into account recent advancements in treatment, modeling, and emerging evidence. This call comes amid criticism of the committee's recent recommendations and as Andy Burnham is expected to become the next prime minister.
"We're going to have a new prime minister, and a new prime minister is a chance to look at this issue again," Sunak told the Daily Mail. "I'd urge whoever is appointed health secretary to ask the committee to re-examine the issue, taking into account all the advances that we've seen in recent years. That's because I firmly believe that a targeted screening program will save lives, and we should just take this step for men's health."
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with approximately 63,000 new cases and 12,000 deaths annually. Unlike breast, bowel, and lung cancer, there is currently no national screening program. A campaign by the Daily Mail advocates for such a program, initially targeting high-risk individuals, including Black men, those with a family history of the disease, or specific genetic mutations.
Recent recommendations from the UK National Screening Committee suggested that screening would be limited to a smaller cohort of men aged 45 to 61 who have a rare gene mutation combined with a family history of certain cancers. The committee reportedly does not include prostate cancer experts or Black members, a point raised by director Sir Steve McQueen as potentially influencing the decision-making process.
Sunak emphasized that the committee should maintain a "living model" to incorporate new evidence as it emerges, rather than waiting years for a new review. He believes that ongoing studies could strengthen the case for targeted screening and should be considered promptly. He confirmed his intention to raise the issue with the next prime minister and health secretary.
Sunak noted that support for screening extends across political parties and includes campaigners, survivors, families, and medical professionals. He stated, "I've spent time myself going through the evidence, the numbers, talking to survivors, talking to families that have been affected. I know how meaningful this is to people up and down the country."
The UK National Screening Committee concluded that the PSA blood test, used to assess potential prostate cancer risk, is not sufficiently accurate for widespread population use. The committee also expressed concerns that treating false positives or slow-progressing cancers could put men at unnecessary risk of side effects like impotence and incontinence. However, Martin Davies, chairman of the Prostate Project charity, suggested that these concerns might be based on outdated information, as current treatment approaches have evolved beyond automatic aggressive interventions following a positive PSA test.