Amy Rylance, assistant director of health improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “We’re calling on the Government to change outdated NHS guidelines so that GPs can start having proactive conversations with men at the highest risk of getting prostate cancer about their risk and the option to get tested.
Naser Turabi, director of evidence and implementation at Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, said: “This study highlights variation in the detection of prostate cancer through PSA testing in men with no symptoms.
The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is a blood test which is used to check for prostate conditions including prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate.
“Research so far suggests that the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test is not reliable enough to detect prostate cancer that needs treatment, which is why current guidelines do not suggest pro-actively offering it to patients without symptoms.
Routine PSA testing is not currently offered on the NHS, but patients may be offered a PSA test if a GP suspects they have prostate cancer.
