More black men to benefit from prostate cancer screening trial

Tens of thousands more black men aged 45-74 are to be invited for prostate cancer checks as part of an ongoing trial in the UK to find better ways of testing for the disease.

The move, announced by the government, has been welcomed by charities and campaigners as "a truly historic moment".

The committee says the harms of using a blood test, called PSA, for screening outweigh the benefits in the majority of cases, except for "a few thousand" men who have a dangerous genetic variant and a family history of cancer.

Men can talk to their doctor about whether a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test might be helpful. People should not ignore prostate symptoms, such as difficulty urinating.

But while testing healthy men with no symptoms could save some lives, it would also lead to treatment that can leave some men unable to control their bladder or have an erection.

Some prostate tumours do not need treating immediately and may never be life-threatening, which is one reason why widespread screening is not being recommended.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with 64,000 men diagnosed and 12,000 dying each year.

One in eight men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime and for black men, that risk doubles to one in four.

The goverment says it will invest £18 million into the Transform trial so that more black men will be invited to take part in the research.

The trial is assessing whether extra tests alongside PSA, such as genetic checks and faster MRI scans, can improve screening accuracy.

All black men aged 45-74 who have not already had a recent PSA test will be offered the chance to participate.

The government says the trial will help build a more effective screening system for the disease for the future.

"This is a major step forward in how we tackle prostate cancer - focusing on those most at risk, improving the treatments available, and backing the research we need to close the evidence gaps and save lives," said Health Secretary James Murray.

The trial started inviting men earlier this year.

Prostate Cancer UK said it was "delighted" by the government's decision, which would help the charity reach more black men "with clear, trusted information".

Prof Prabhakar Rajan, professor of urology and robotic surgery at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, said including more black men in the research was welcome.

"Black men have historically been under-represented in prostate cancer research despite being disproportionately affected by the disease," he said.

At present, although it's clear that black men are at much higher risk of developing prostate cancer, it's not certain whether those cancers are more dangerous.

The National Screening Committee says it will monitor any new evidence gathered from the trial in case screening programmes can be adjusted and widened to more men in the future.