Prostate Cancer Screening

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon Excerpts

Tuesday 2nd June 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Royall of Blaisdon]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation from the UK’s National Screening Committee that there should only be a targeted screening programme for prostate cancer, as opposed to population screening.

[Baroness in Waiting/Government Whip (Baroness Blake of Leeds) (Lab)]

My Lords, the Government have today accepted the UK National Screening Committee’s evidence-based recommendation to offer prostate cancer screening every two years to men between the ages of 45 and 61 with a BRCA2 gene variant and a family history of breast, ovarian, pancreatic or prostate cancer. Population-wide screening was shown to do more harm than good. We will keep this decision under review and work with organisations to fill the evidence gaps for high-risk groups.

[Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend the Minister for that Answer; I think that I am pleased with it—I will have to think about it more fully. Given the known risk factor of family history when it comes to the likelihood of being diagnosed with prostate cancer, what are the Government doing to create a more specific definition of the term to enable better targeting of those men most at risk? I know it is important for hundreds of thousands of men up and down the country and their loved ones. My husband died of prostate cancer because it was diagnosed too late, and I have two sons.

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for courageously continuing to pick up this very important issue. The term “family history” is not well defined in current evidence. Work is under way to define what degree of family history of cancer would carry a significantly increased risk of prostate cancer, and the UK National Screening Committee will build this into its modelling. In the meantime, officials are working with Cancer Research UK and the UK Cancer Genetics Group to see if interim guidance can be developed with experts to support GPs in making clinical judgments when asked about PSA testing by men with a family history.