Rishi Sunak leads UK's targeted prostate cancer screening drive

London, Nov 25 (PTI) Britain's former prime minister Rishi Sunak is leading a campaign to make targeted prostate cancer screening a priority for the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) and has handed over an open letter backed by 125 cross-party MPs to Health Secretary Wes Streeting.  The country's first Indian-origin PM, now a backbench Conservative Party member of Parliament, wants the NHS to offer a regular screening programme to men at higher risk of the disease.

In the open letter delivered to Streeting on Monday, the 45-year-old is backed by his colleagues to call for “targeted screening” as a legacy-defining advance for men’s health.  “We write united by a belief that no man should die because of his postcode, ethnicity, or GP (general practitioner) access," reads the open letter.  “Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in UK men, with over 63,000 diagnoses and 12,000 deaths annually. This week, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) meets to decide on prostate cancer screening. This is a defining moment for men's health.

"The government must be ready to act so that those at highest risk – men aged 45–69 who are Black, have a family history of prostate, breast or ovarian cancer, or carry BRCA1/BRCA2 variants, all of whom face at least twice the average risk of developing prostate cancer – are no longer left behind,” it reads.  It comes as another former Tory prime minister, David Cameron, revealed this week that he had been treated for prostate cancer.  “I acted quickly and was lucky. So today I'm adding my name to the campaign calling for a prostate cancer screening programme," said Cameron.  Sunak took to social media to hail the 59-year-old former Conservative Party leader's courage and reiterated his stance for a targeted screening drive.  "Very glad to hear David's treatment for prostate cancer has been successful," said Sunak.  "Speaking so openly will encourage more men to get checked earlier, and I agree with him that Britain needs a targeted national screening programme for high-risk men," he said.  His open letter highlights the evidence which shows that screening for high-risk categories saves lives.

"Today, the pathway is entirely different to when the UK NSC last evaluated screening: men have an MRI before any biopsy is considered; biopsies are carried out using safer transperineal methods; and low-grade cancers are far less likely to be detected – and, when they are, they are managed with active surveillance rather than treatment.

"Harms that once justified inaction have largely been engineered out," the letter points out.  It claims that the current opportunistic or irregular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing is “unstructured, inefficient and unfair”.   Streeting has said that he will look at the recommendations of the UK NSC, expected later this week, with a view to bringing about “genuine change”.  "This (Labour Party) government has been clear it would like to see screening in place, but the decision must be evidence-led. The independent UK National Screening Committee is looking at this as a priority and we will consider next steps after a thorough consultation,” a Department of Health and Social Care statement said. PTI AK ZH ZH ZH