New screening methods to find prostate cancer in men to be trialled in UK in bid to save lives

A new trial testing methods of screening for prostate cancer in men is set to get under way in the UK in a bid to save thousands lives from the disease.

Currently, there is no screening programme in the UK for prostate cancer. However, a new £42 million project, known as Transform, will trial methods to implement a screening programme, and has been hailed as a “pivotal moment in the history of prostate cancer research” by experts. It is also hoped that the findings from the Transform project will help men being tested to avoid any harm from potentially unnecessary biopsies or treatment.

In the trial, various screening methods will be compared with current NHS diagnostic processes. These processes often include blood tests, physical examinations and biopsies.

Prostate Cancer UK, which is funding the project, said that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests and biopsies to screen for the disease showed the method prevented between 8% and 20% of deaths, depending on screening regularity. The charity added that Transform has the potential to reduce deaths from the cancer by 40%, with Cancer Research UK estimating that 12,000 lives are lost in the UK per year. Initial results from Transform are expected in three years.

Dr Matthew Hobbs, director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Prostate cancer is the most common cancer without a screening programme and it’s about time we changed that. We know that earlier diagnosis saves lives, but previous trials haven’t been able to prove that enough men would be saved using PSA tests alone, while they did show that these old screening methods caused significant unnecessary harm to men. We must now prove that there are better ways to find aggressive prostate cancer that will save even more lives while causing less harm.”

Around 12,500 men will take part in the first phase of the trial and will assess components such as PSA blood tests, genetic testing and a Prostagram, which is a faster version of an MRI scan. This will then be compared to NHS diagnostic methods to determine which performs better.

The second phase of the trial will involve 300,000 men testing the most effective methods found in stage one. Researchers will also follow up with patients over at least a decade to track how the screening programme impacted the length and quality of their lives.

The team working on Transform will recruit men for the trial from GPs across the UK from next year. At least one in 10 patients who are invited to take part will be black, as black men carry double the risk of developing prostate cancer compared to other men.

Dr Hobbs added that there is hope that the trial may not only impact prostate cancer screening in the UK, but that it could also “change practice globally”, saving tens of thousands of men per year. He said: “This is a pivotal moment in the history of prostate cancer research and we’re proud to be leading the way, and to be supporting some of the best researchers in the world to make it happen.”

Lead researchers on the trial are Prof Hashim Ahmed and Prof Rakesh Heer, of Imperial College London, Prof Mark Emberton and Prof Caroline Moore, of University College London, Prof Rhian Gabe of Queen Mary University of London, and Prof Ros Eeles, of the Institute of Cancer Research, London. Funding has been received from various sources, including £16m from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and £1.5m from Movember. There was also support from the Freddie Green and Family Charitable Foundation

Professor Lucy Chappell, chief executive of NIHR, said: “This important trial aims to prevent thousands of men dying each year through earlier diagnosis of one of the most common male cancers. Early detection through screening is crucial in improving the life chances of all men, and is particularly important for black men who are at double the risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Health minister Andrew Stephenson added: “It’s fantastic to know that more people are surviving cancer in the UK than ever, but we know that’s partly down to early diagnosis. Screening for the most common cancer in men is complex but we’re backing groundbreaking trials like this to improve diagnostic processes and save thousands more lives.”