Prostate cancer screening for ALL middle-aged men in pipeline after scientists discover new techniques that reduce likelihood of overdiagnosis

Prostate cancer screening could soon be offered to all middle-aged men after studies show new techniques reduce the risk of overdiagnosis.

Experts have long argued that only a national screening program could significantly reduce deaths from the most common cancer in men.

Until now, testing has been too unreliable to cross the threshold where the potential for unnecessary harm outweighs the benefit.

But a new analysis of advances in screening and biopsy techniques in studies involving more than 600,000 men shows a potential harm reduction of two-thirds (67 percent).

It comes as Britain’s National Screening Committee has announced it will review all the evidence supporting prostate screening, with a decision expected by the end of the year.

Charities have welcomed the review with estimates an NHS scheme – similar to women’s breast screening – could save thousands of lives every year.

Dr Matthew Hobbs, head of research at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “We’ve known for some time that testing more men leads to fewer deaths from prostate cancer.

“But there was always concern about the damage it would do to men.

“However, our evidence shows that screening may now be much safer than previously thought.

“We are therefore delighted that the committee will re-examine the evidence.

“It is important that they consider this study and the real results of the real NHS data and we hope they will find that we have reduced the harm enough to be ready to start a prostate cancer screening programme.”

Currently, men usually do not find out that they have prostate cancer until they start showing symptoms such as frequent or difficult urination.

They can request a PSA blood test from their GP, which they qualify for if they are over 50, but this is far from accurate – they miss many aggressive cancers and pick up too many cancers that wouldn’t cause problems if they not found

As a result, it was never found to be accurate enough for a population study.

However, studies have now shown that MRI scans can effectively detect tumors, while a new biopsy technique known as transperineal guided biopsies reduces the risk of infection.

Prostate Cancer UK analyzed several clinical studies and current practice and practice data from 16 NHS Trusts in London and the South West.

Compared to screening study data using old methods, they found that the percentage of men who were harmed during the diagnostic process dropped from 13.39 percent to 4.37 percent.

The number of unnecessary biopsies dropped from 9.46 percent to 3.44 percent and the number of men who developed sepsis halved from 0.1 to 0.5 percent, according to results presented at the ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco.

Meanwhile, the number of men diagnosed with clinically insignificant cancer – meaning it is unlikely to ever spread or cause real harm – fell by 77 per cent.

Ros Eeles, professor of oncogenetics at the Institute of Cancer Research, said the data “supports the shift towards research to perform prostate screening”.

She said: “This gives us a rationale to move forward with the introduction of a prostate screening program in the UK.

“The challenge will be to find better markers that indicate the presence of aggressive disease and to refine our use of genetic risk stratification to target new screening methods to those at highest risk.”

Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer in the UK after breast cancer, accounting for around 12,000 deaths each year.

It is estimated that screening could reduce deaths by a fifth, but the current test is unreliable and leaves men with harm such as unnecessary or repeated biopsies that can lead to serious infections.