‘Missed opportunity’ as government rejects call for mass prostate cancer screening | Science, Climate & Tech News
The health secretary has decided only a few thousand men at high risk of getting prostate cancer will be offered targeted screening for the disease. James Murray said he was “following the science” after the UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) concluded that offering it to more people could do “more harm than good”. Men with the BRCA2 genetic mutation, which means they have a far higher risk of prostate cancer, will now get a test every two years between the ages of 45 and 61. To be eligible, they must also have a family history of prostate, breast, ovarian or pancreatic cancer. Campaigners – who had urged the government to reject the committee’s advice – called it a missed opportunity to save lives. Some wanted it offered to all men over 45, or to other groups with an increased risk, such as black men and those with a family history of the disease. They argued many men are dying unnecessarily because their disease is going undiagnosed until it’s too late. Under the new approach, it’s …
