Rishi Sunak has repeated demands for expanded prostate cancer screening, arguing that the decision to reject broader testing relied on a flawed model.
The Conservative former prime minister, who stood down from Downing Street in 2024, stated he "dove" into data behind the UK’s National Screening Committee (NSC) recommendation and considered it to be incorrect.
Mr Sunak, who acts as an ambassador for Prostate Cancer Research, said he was "disappointed" by the NSC's decision.
Earlier this year, the committee decided against rolling out wider population screening for prostate cancer through prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood tests.
The committee cautioned that screening is "more likely to cause more harm than good in the whole population", as subsequent treatments can trigger side effects including incontinence and impotence.
Instead, men carrying BRCA2 genetic mutations – which place them at significantly elevated risk of prostate cancer – will undergo screening every two years between the ages of 45 and 61 if they have a family history of breast, ovarian, pancreatic or prostate cancers.
Mr Sunak said: “I, like many other campaigners, was disappointed with the decision of the National Screening Committee.
“Colleagues know I like numbers, and I dove into the model behind that decision.
“I think there are a few issues which I hope the minister can go back and have a look at that.”
He said the model’s assumption of treatment costs was wrong, and it had incorrectly understated how many men receive the most advanced drugs.
Source: The Independent, 27 October 2026
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