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Prostate Cancer: Screening

Asked by Suella BravermanReform UKDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 16 March 2026UIN 117332

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a mandatory national screening programme for prostate cancer to help improve early detection and reduce mortality.

Answered by Mrs Sharon Hodgson

On 28 November 2025, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) opened a 12-week public consultation on a draft recommendation to offer targeted screening for prostate cancer in men with variants of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, every two years from the age of 45 to 61 years old. This consultation has now closed, and the committee is considering the responses.

We welcome the UK NSC’s consideration of the evidence and robust consultation process. We expect the UK NSC to make a final recommendation soon. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will then consider the advice, make a decision, and determine the next steps.

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