Change GP guidelines now: our call for action to save men’s lives today

Without a mass screening programme for prostate cancer, the Government must act now to save men’s lives – by changing outdated GP guidelines today.

That’s our message to ministers now that the National Screening Committee has said “no” to routine screening for the vast majority of men.

The committee’s verdict means hundreds of thousands of men who face the highest risk of prostate cancer are set to be locked out of a screening programme. That includes Black men and those who have a history of the disease running in their family.

We’re continuing to fund groundbreaking research that will provide the vital new evidence we need for a much bigger screening programme inviting all men for regular tests.

But there’s no time to lose, so today we’re renewing our calls for the Government to start saving men’s lives right now.

This begins with overhauling outdated NHS guidelines for GPs, to make it easier for doctors to speak to men about their risk of prostate cancer and the option of having a PSA blood test to check for early warning signs.

No excuse for inaction while men’s lives are left to chance

Our research and campaigning has driven forward major improvements in the way we diagnose prostate cancer. With better MRI scan and new biopsy techniques, testing is safer and more accurate today than ever before.

That’s why we submitted our evidence to the National Screening Committee, which showed that routine screening for all men at high risk of prostate cancer would save lives and help bring an end to shocking inequalities.

Regular screening is especially important for Black men, whose risk of prostate cancer is double that of other men. And that’s not all – we also know Black men are more likely to be diagnosed when their cancer’s reached a more advanced stage and is harder to treat.

We can’t allow this to go on – men have already waited too long for change. So our message to ministers today is simple: don’t stand still and wait for a screening programme while men’s lives are left to chance.

NHS guidelines for GPs could be changed with the stroke of a pen in Westminster, giving more men the hope of a potentially lifesaving early diagnosis.

This important step would empower doctors to start conversations with men at high risk of prostate cancer much sooner, helping them make an informed choice about whether to have a PSA blood test.

‘What if I hadn’t heard about prostate cancer by chance? I might have left it too late’

When a member of his local church sadly died of prostate cancer, it prompted Michael Lewis to have a PSA blood test to check for early warning signs of the disease – despite having no symptoms himself.

“I never really thought about prostate cancer until a man at my church died from it,” says Michael, 63, from Dudley in the west Midlands.

“That prompted me to get a test, but as I had zero symptoms I thought I was just being extra careful.

“Luckily, I’d found it early, so that test saved my life. But what if I hadn’t heard about it at church by chance? I might have left it until it was too late for me.”

Without screening, says Michael, lots of men don’t realise they’re at risk of getting prostate cancer or what tests they can have to find out more.

“That’s why more and more men are getting cancer that can’t be cured,” says Michael. “I want all men with prostate cancer to be diagnosed in time for a cure. So we need to keep raising awareness and pushing the Government to do more.”

Building pressure on ministers to act on early detection

There’s no excuse for inaction. Without a mass screening programme, the Government must move quickly to change NHS guidelines right now – to give men at high risk of prostate cancer their best chance of finding it early, when it’s easier to treat.

With your support, we’ve been calling for this important change for the last two years, putting pressure on ministers to take urgent action.

As part of our campaign so far, we’ve:

• published our our general election ‘MANifesto’, calling for faster, fairer and better diagnosis of the most common cancer in men, with backing from leading prostate cancer organisations like Prostate Cymru, Prostate Scotland and Cancer Black Care
• delivered a letter signed by 10,000 Prostate Cancer UK supporters to the Health Secretary Wes Streeting, demanding changes to the rules for GPs
• secured a commitment from health minister Ashley Dalton MP, who pledged to work with us to “tackle prostate cancer together”
• stood together with leading medical organisations and prostate cancer charities to urge the Government to act straight away on early detection following the National Screening Committee’s “no screening” decision.

Don’t wait for screening – save men’s lives today

Today, these outdated NHS guidelines discourage GPs from discussing prostate cancer testing with men unless they already have symptoms. It means men are losing precious time with their loved ones, simply because they were diagnosed too late for a cure.

So while we fund the research that will lead us to a screening programme for all men, the Government must act now on early detection, to start saving men’s lives today.

We’re calling on ministers to change NHS guidelines immediately, giving GPs the power to have potentially lifesaving conversations with men at highest risk. And we’re also urging them to fund public awareness campaigns that would help millions more men find out if they’re at risk and what to do next, while replacing confusing clinical guidance with our quick and easy online Risk Checker.

Follow the latest developments on prostate cancer screening and stay up to date with our campaign to change NHS guidelines for GPs.

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