Prostate Cancer: Screening
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that men at risk of prostate cancer are able to access prostate specific antigen tests.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Currently men who have symptoms that could be associated with prostate cancer may be offered a test called the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test, which looks at levels of PSA in the blood in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence cancer recognition and referral guidance. However, due to the poor ability of PSA to predict cancer, the PSA test is not recommended as a screening tool for healthy men with no symptoms. This includes those at higher risk of prostate cancer.
This is because the high level of inaccuracy could lead to unnecessary tests that carry risks of life-changing harm, such as urinary and faecal incontinence, sexual dysfunction, as well as a smaller but serious risk of sepsis. Additionally, some prostate cancers may not produce elevated PSA levels, leading to false-negative results that provide deceptive reassurance.
Instead, men should be encouraged to know the symptoms of prostate cancer and look out for changes in their body and seek advice from a general practitioner if these changes occur.
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