Prostate Cancer: Screening
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of potential disparities in access to prostate cancer screening among men of different (a) races and (b) socio-economic statuses.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the UK National Screening Committees (UK NSC). This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test, called Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA).
The UK NSC is carrying out an evidence review of prostate cancer screening which includes looking at the evidence for targeted screening of specific high-risk groups, such as Black Men and those with a family history. This will determine whether a PSA test-based screening programme for high-risk groups could provide more good than harm.
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