Targeted prostate cancer screening could save countless lives, says Sunak

A targeted prostate cancer screening programme for men at the highest risk could "save countless lives", former prime minister Rishi Sunak has told the BBC.

Prostate Cancer Research, of which Sunak is a patron, has published a report on the costs and benefits of such an initiative. It would focus on black men and/or those with a family history of prostate cancer who are aged 45–69.

Sunak said he is "convinced of the urgency " of introducing such a programme, which he believes would be affordable and deliverable.

But some medical experts are sceptical about the value of screening, arguing there is a risk patients will be treated for the cancer unnecessarily.

Prostate Cancer Research estimates the screening programme, which would involve an MRI scan, a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test and a biopsy, would cost £25m a year - or about £18 per patient - similar to bowel and breast cancer screening.

It assumes 20% of eligible men - of which there are an estimated 1.3 million in the UK - would be invited annually, with a 72% uptake rate. Diagnostic activity (scans and biopsies) would need to rise by 23%, with only a modest increase in NHS staffing, the charity says.

The UK National Screening Committee is currently reconsidering its decision from five years ago not to recommend routine screening. Media reports suggest it may stick with its current stance.

Urologist Prof Noel Clarke, representing the British Association of Urological Surgeons, told the national audit that while it was encouraging more men were being diagnosed and treated earlier, "we must also tackle the inequalities revealed by the audit so that age or postcode never determine the quality of care men receive".

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Source: BBC News, 14 October 2025