Today the Government announced screening for Black men aged 45–74 and a small BRCA2 sub-group. Both welcome. Both overdue.
But I was 52. White. Family history. Not in the system. PSA 4,056. Stage IV.
Under today’s announcement I still wouldn’t have been caught earlier.
64,000 diagnoses. 47% late stage. 12,000 deaths.
A step forward. Not a programme.
Same story — my dad had it. I’m glad you’re getting tested.
But I’d push the age down. I was 52 with no symptoms and a PSA of 4,056. Stage IV polymetastatic by the time anyone checked.
Over 50 is the current guidance. It wasn’t early enough for me and not early enough for others I’m discovering.
@ethansgrumps@DHSCgovuk@jamesmurray_ldn It’s not cynicism Tony. It’s pattern recognition.
The difference between cynicism and clarity is evidence — and the evidence is on your side.
Which is exactly why we keep going. 💙
Exactly right Tony — an invite to a trial is not a programme, and the participation history makes that gap even wider.
The family history point lands hard too. I had family history. Still not in any pathway.
They’ve announced progress for two groups. The question nobody’s answering is what happens to the rest.
@crageshri Patient voice isn’t a courtesy. It’s the correction mechanism for a system that keeps getting it wrong. The NSC just recommended against prostate cancer screening — against a Cochrane review of 800,000 men. I’d like to know how much patient evidence informed that decision. 💙
@DrYukselUrun The moment a door that was called impossible opens — even a crack — everything changes for the people waiting on the other side. That’s true whatever the cancer. 💙
@ProstateCell@cddpress Enzalutamide resistance is where the AR inhibitor story gets complicated. I’m on darolutamide — next-gen, same pathway. The idea that ferroptosis induction could be a workaround is genuinely interesting. Following this closely.
Agreed on trials — that’s why TRANSFORM matters. The ovarian cancer parallel is fair as a caution. But 800,000 men, 23 years, six trials — that’s not assumption. That’s the Cochrane evidence base the NSC didn’t have when it recommended against. The question now is whether the minister waits for TRANSFORM to conclude, or acts on what we already know.
Dr McCartney argues we need the committee to protect us from cognitive bias. Yesterday the minister bypassed that same committee to invite all Black men into a screening trial — because the risk data was clear enough to act on. Cochrane Report May 2026. 800,000 men. 23 years of data. Landed after the NSC’s recommendation. The question isn’t whether to screen. It’s who decides when the evidence is sufficient.
The Government announced £18m this week to expand the TRANSFORM trial.
That’s a genuine commitment to research. Worth saying clearly.
Here’s what it is and what it isn’t.
TRANSFORM Stage 1: 16,000 men. Results due end of 2027 — if all goes to plan.
Stage 2: up to 300,000 men. Conditional on Stage 1 succeeding. Earliest start: 2027.
The same week, the Government accepted the NSC recommendation against population screening.
So the £18m funds a research trial that may — eventually — tell us what we largely already know from the May 2026 Cochrane review of 800,000 men across 23 years: PSA screening reduces prostate cancer mortality.
12,000 men die every year. One every 45 minutes.
While we wait for a trial to design a future screening programme, that clock keeps running.
The investment is welcome. A proper decision on screening is what’s needed.
@nealweekes@DavidLammy Thank you Neal — and so glad you caught it early. That’s exactly the difference a test makes. Wishing you continued good health. 💙
Today the Government announced screening for Black men aged 45–74 and a small BRCA2 sub-group. Both welcome. Both overdue.
But I was 52. White. Family history. Not in the system. PSA 4,056. Stage IV.
Under today’s announcement I still wouldn’t have been caught earlier.
64,000 diagnoses. 47% late stage. 12,000 deaths.
A step forward. Not a programme.
Update: read the small print.
The government’s own press release confirms the expansion to all eligible Black men is subject to successful Stage 1 TRANSFORM trial outcomes. Rishi Sunak’s own response described it as “potentially” including all Black men.
A conditional promise tied to a trial still running is not a screening programme. Black men face 1 in 4 lifetime risk. They deserve certainty, not “potentially.”
So do the rest of the 64,000 men diagnosed every year.
@RishiSunak@PCR_News Agreed. A missed opportunity is exactly what it is. I was 52, white, family history, not in the system. PSA 4,056. Stage IV. Today’s announcement doesn’t reach men like me. The evidence for broader screening exists. The ambition to act on it doesn’t — not yet.
I’m so sorry for your loss. His story is exactly why this matters. No symptoms. Stage IV. White. Not in the system. That’s me too — still here, but only just. Today’s announcement for Black men is necessary and overdue. But his story, and mine, show why it can’t stop there. He deserved a chance to be caught earlier. So do the 60,000 others diagnosed every year. 💙
“Most at risk” sounds reassuring. It isn’t. I was 52, white, family history, not in the system. PSA 4,056. Stage IV. I don’t qualify under today’s announcement. 64,000 diagnoses a year. The majority have no organised pathway. Most at risk is not most men affected by prostate cancer.
@David_Cameron Agreed. A step, not a programme. I was 52, white, family history, not in the system. PSA 4,056. Stage IV. The decision today doesn’t reach men like me. Bold and decisive is exactly what was needed. The campaign continues. 💙