Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses to determine site eligibility for participation in the TRANSFORM prostate cancer screening trial; and whether the availability of focal therapy is a requirement.

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 November 2023, the Government and Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK) announced 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 managing the award on behalf of the funders with the Government contributing £16 million through the NIHR.

Once received, the protocol will be published on the NIHR website on the funding and awards page. This is expected to contain details of the site selection criteria.