David Cameron hits back at new prostate screening advice

Mr Cameron was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2024 after his wife urged him to request a PSA test.

He later underwent targeted focal therapy to destroy the cancer cells and has since been given the all-clear, joining public campaigns to encourage men to get screened.

The UK National Screening Committee this week advised the government against a population-wide screening programme.

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It does not recommend that men with BRCA2 genetic mutations – which puts them at far higher risk of prostate cancer – should be screened every two years, between the ages of 45 and 61 if they have a family history of certain cancers.

Former prime minister Mr Cameron said the recommendation is “deeply disappointing” and a “real step backwards”.

“I urge the new health secretary to reject it and go further – offering targeted screening for the most at-risk men,” he said.

“We are letting down too many men, their families and loved-ones if we don’t push for a wider screening programme that includes all high-risk groups.

“Prostate cancer can be symptomless early on – as it was in my case. That’s why screening is essential – catching the cancers early when they can be more effectively and successfully treated, like with me.”

Mr Cameron said there are now better screening options and more advanced focused treatments on the NHS, which he benefitted from, but warned it has been “ignored” by the committee.

“The new health secretary needs to be brave and bold,” he added. “A more progressive and life-saving policy is within our grasp.

“Put in place a proper, targeted screening programme that involves all those at higher-risk. Without it, more men will die, and more families will lose a loved-one. As I said in November, this is avoidable and can be done.”

The final decision differs from the draft recommendation published in November, which said men with both BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations should be screened.

As a result, it is estimated that a “few thousand” men will be screened each year.

Professor Sir Mike Richards, chairman of the UK National Screening Committee, told a briefing: “We do know that screening can reduce deaths from prostate cancer to a small extent, and it does not improve overall survival.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with more than 64,000 men diagnosed every year.

The Government will now consider the recommendation and Prof Richards said he will be meeting with the new health secretary James Murray on Monday.