Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to provide investment into the research of a more accurate and reliable test to screen for prostate cancer.

The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In the financial year 2024/25, the NIHR’s reported spend on cancer research was over £141.6 million through its research programmes and infrastructure, reflecting cancer’s high priority.

For example, the Government and Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK) have partnered together on the £42 million TRANSFORM screening trial to find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer to find it before it becomes advanced and harder to treat. PCUK is leading the development of the trial with the Government contributing £16 million through the NIHR.

In addition, the NIHR is investing £3.1 million in the GP-TEST-PRO study, exploring the accuracy of a faster and more affordable prostate magnetic resonance imaging, alongside genetic testing, for detecting clinically significant prostate cancer in symptomatic men presenting to primary care.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including prostate cancer.