Trial to find best way to screen for prostate cancer

METHODS of screening men for prostate cancer are set to be trialled in a bid to save thousands of lives in the UK each year.

The £42m project, known as Transform, has been hailed as “a pivotal moment in the history of prostate cancer research” by experts. It is also hoped the research will help men avoid harm from potentially unnecessary biopsies and treatment.

There is currently no screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK.

The trial will compare various screening methods to current NHS diagnostic processes – which can include blood tests, physical examinations and biopsies.

Initial results from Transform are expected in three years.

According to Prostate Cancer UK, which is funding the project, previous trials that used prostatespecific antigen (PSA) blood tests and biopsies to screen for the disease showed the method prevented between 8% and 20% of deaths, depending on screening regularity. However, Transform has the potential to reduce deaths from prostate cancer by 40%, the charity said.

Figures from Cancer Research UK estimate 12,000 lives are lost to prostate cancer in the UK each year.

Dr Matthew Hobbs, director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Prostate cancer is the most common cancer without a screening programme and it’s about time we changed that. We know that earlier diagnosis saves lives, but previous trials haven’t been able to prove that enough men would be saved using PSA tests alone, while they did show that these old screening methods caused significant unnecessary harm to men.

“We must now prove that there are better ways to find aggressive prostate cancer that will save even more lives while causing less harm.”