Prostate tests soar after Fry diagnosis
THE number of men being tested for prostate cancer has soared by 15 per cent after Stephen Fry announced earlier this year that he had the disease.
Matthew Swindells, national director for operations and information at NHS England, said: ‘There’s been an extraordinary spike in demand, I’m told largely driven by Stephen Fry getting cancer.’
Fry, 61, revealed in February that his prostate had been removed.
However, scientists claimed yesterday that the standard test for prostate cancer was so unreliable that GPs should discourage most men from having it.
A review of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test found just one death is prevented per decade for every 1,000 men checked. The poor success rate increases the risk of false positives and side-effects caused by unneeded treatment.
Scientists said men at higher risk, such as those with a family history of the disease or black men over 45, benefit from testing, but for others it could be unnecessary.
Authors of the review in the British Medical Journal, which combined studies into 720,000 men, said most of those misdiagnosed have radiotherapy and surgery that can cause impotence and incontinence.
The Daily Mail is campaigning to end needless prostate deaths.