Getty ImagesThe UK National Screening Committee has recommended that only a very small group of men at high risk of prostate cancer be screened for the disease.
There is currently no screening program for prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men.
But senior figures including Sir Chris Hoy, who has terminal prostate cancer, and Lord David Cameron, who recently revealed he was being treated for it, have mounted a vigorous campaign for change.
Consultation with experts will take place over the next three months before the selection committee makes its final recommendations to the four UK governments in March.
What is screening?
Screening is when people are invited to be tested for a disease despite not having symptoms.
Examples include women being invited for a mammogram to screen for breast cancer or a home bowel cancer test posted in your home every two years over the age of 50.
The idea is to catch cancer before someone gets sick and when it can still be cured.
What was recommended today?
Experts say there is no justification for screening the vast majority of men for prostate cancer.
They considered all available evidence and concluded that screening is only suitable for:
- men with a genetic risk of prostate cancer (with a confirmed BRCA gene variant)
The advice says this group should be screened every two years between the ages of 45 and 61.
This means screening is not recommended for other high-risk groups of men, such as:
- black men
- men with a family history of prostate cancer
Why did they come to this conclusion?
The UK's National Screening Committee has said a mass prostate cancer screening program is likely to do more harm than good.
Tests for the disease are unreliable and can result in men being treated for a slow-growing cancer that will not harm them. The treatment itself can cause incontinence and impotence, which can significantly affect quality of life.
Coupled with this, early detection of cancer and its treatment can save lives. But it's difficult for doctors to determine which cancers will be aggressive and spread, meaning men may be treated unnecessarily.
The committee said the number of lives saved by screening did not outweigh its harmful effects on healthy men.
Why not test all high-risk men?
Many predicted that all men at high risk of the disease would likely be included in the new screening plans.
But the committee did not implement this recommendation.
Even though black men have twice the risk of developing prostate cancer, it says black men should not be screened due to “uncertainty” about its impact and a lack of clinical trial data in these men.
He also recommended against screening men with a family history of the disease for the same reason – too many cancers will be overdiagnosed and overtreated.
But men with specific genetic mutations called BRCA variants develop fast-growing and aggressive cancers earlier in life, making screening them worthwhile.
Early treatment of these cancers is more likely to benefit these men and outweigh the potential harm from unnecessary treatment compared with men in the general population, experts say.
How do you test for the BRCA variant?
A genetic test is needed that will detect the mutation of the BRCA 1 and 2 genes.
These gene variants can affect men and women, increasing the risk of developing a range of cancers, including prostate, breast and ovarian cancer.
About three in 1,000 men have BRCA variants, but many won't find out unless they have family members who are known carriers and then it's confirmed by a test.
Experts say more genetic tests will need to be offered to high-risk men in the future to determine how many are affected.
How many men get prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.
Around 55,000 men are diagnosed with the condition each year in the UK and 12,000 men die from it each year.
Is this the final word on screening?
No, a three-month consultation on recommendations begins today.
The committee will then meet again and make its final recommendations to ministers in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
They will then have to make their own individual decision regarding prostate screening.
Wes Streeting, England's health secretary, says he wants to introduce screening, but only if it is “backed by evidence.”
He said he would review the evidence “carefully” before making a final decision in March.
