There are 55,300 cases and 12,200 deaths every year, and a decision is set to be made next week affecting millions
Robert Rowlands Deputy editor, Money and lifestyle hub
14:13, 22 Nov 2025Updated 14:16, 22 Nov 2025
A meeting of experts this month is set to have major implications for men across the UK
A decision that could impact millions of men across the UK is due to be made next week. The Department of Health will host a meeting with leading experts to discuss the potential launch of the first NHS screening programme for prostate cancer.
The National Screening Committee (NSC) will November 27 issue a recommendation at this pivotal meeting, and the implications for men nationwide could be significant. Prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the UK, with 55,300 cases and 12,200 deaths reported annually.
Renowned Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy revealed in October 2024 that he had been diagnosed with the disease, stating at the time that he had between two to four years to live. According to The Times, eleven top experts are set to meet to deliberate on the possibility of mass screening. The NSC will then provide a recommendation on whether to initiate the first NHS screening programme for prostate cancer. Sir Chris Hoy has been an advocate for increased use of PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood tests, which can aid in early detection of the disease and potentially save lives, reports the Mirror.
While mass screening is utilised for other major cancers, it can also lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment, not to mention strain already stretched NHS resources. Chiara de Biase, the director of health services, equity and improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, spoke to The Times about the difficult decision surrounding prostate cancer screening. “It’s a head versus heart decision,” she said.
“Your heart is saying ‘just screen everybody, let’s give everybody a PSA test’. But it’s not harmless, and not doing harm is just as important to us as finding cancers.
“We have always believed that the evidence is strong enough for screening for black men and for men with a family history,” de Biase added. “Anything less than that I’d be really surprised and really disappointed. But even a week out, I don’t know which way it is going to fall.”
The Times suggests that routine checks for all men over 50 are likely to be rejected due to concerns over the reliability of PSA tests. Instead, a targeted screening programme for those at the highest risk appears to be the preferred approach.
Risk factors can include genetics and ethnicity. To maximise the effectiveness of the tests in terms of saving lives, two groups are likely to be prioritised: black men and individuals with a family history of the disease.
Black men are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer. The Times reports that around a million men between the ages of 50 and 69 in the UK have a family history of prostate cancer.
Furthermore, it is anticipated that 375,000 black men between the ages of 45 and 69 would be eligible for a targeted screening programme based on ethnicity.
What are the main symptoms of prostate cancer?
According to the NHS website: “Prostate cancer usually starts to grow on the outer part of the prostate. This means it does not press on the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis (urethra) and cause symptoms, until the cancer has grown or spread.”
When this occurs, it may lead to changes in urination patterns, including:
finding it difficult to start peeing or straining to peehaving a weak flow of urine”stop start” peeingneeding to pee urgently or often, or bothfeeling like you still need to pee when you’ve just finishedpeeing during the night
The NHS states that additional warning signs can include:
erectile dysfunction (being unable to get or keep an erection)blood in your urine or blood in your semenlower back pain and losing weight without trying to (these may be symptoms of advanced prostate cancer)
You should seek medical attention from a GP if:
you are over 50 years old, come from a Black ethnic background or have a history of prostate cancer in your family and you’re worried about your risk of prostate canceryou are having trouble peeing or other symptoms of prostate cancer
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