Thousands of men’s lives could be saved, and their loved ones spared the tragedy of losing someone to cancer, as a major new prostate cancer screening trial is set to get under way in the UK backed by £42 million from the government and Prostate Cancer UK.
The first-of-its-kind trial - called TRANSFORM - will use innovative screening methods like an MRI scan to detect prostate cancer, and it will see hundreds of thousands of men across the country participating.
Burnley and Padiham’s MP Antony Higginbotham said:
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer to affect men in the UK and usually has no symptoms until the cancer has significantly grown.
We all know the devastating consequences of the big C and is why it’s so important that it’s caught early. I really welcome the focus being placed on expanding screening services for this.
Working with Prostate Cancer UK, the NHS is running a trial where those who are most at risk will be contacted. So, if you or a loved one is contacted by your GP, I’d encourage you to take part.
Sadly, 12,000 men die of prostate cancer every single year. A way of effectively screening for prostate cancer could find these men before their cancer spreads and save their lives. The trial has the potential to see new screening methods give more accurate results than the current blood tests, which can miss some cancers and often suggest prostate cancer when no cancer exists. Crucially, screening could also spot the disease even when no symptoms are displayed.
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said:
Cancer survival rates continue to improve in the UK, with the disease being diagnosed at an earlier stage more often. But more must be done.
Our hope is that this funding will help to save the lives of thousands more men through advanced screening methods that can catch prostate cancer as early as possible.
Men at higher risk of prostate cancer due to age and ethnicity will be recruited through their GP practice and invited to a screening visit.
More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the UK on average - that’s 144 men every day. Around 490,000 men are currently living with and after prostate cancer.
