Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with around 63,000 diagnoses and 12,000 deaths annually. It’s the biggest cancer killer where there is currently no national screening programme for all at risk.
Until now, any man over the age of 50 without symptoms has been entitled to a free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test via their GP. But new Government guidance removes that right. Instead, GPs will decide whether to grant a test or not, making it more likely more men go undiagnosed at an early stage, leading to more deaths from Prostate Cancer.
In the absence of a national screening programme, it brings in another barrier to giving men the chance to detect Prostate Cancer at the earliest stage, vital for maximising the chances of successful treatment. It will also see further pressure on GP time in deciding whether to have a test which men over 50 could simply request previously.
Now a campaign started by former Torbay MP and health campaigner Kevin Foster is calling on residents to send a powerful message to the Secretary of State for Health, The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, by backing the “Keep Prostate Tests on Request” campaign to get as many individual letters sent to her as possible demanding a rethink.
Kevin Foster said: “This decision, made without public consultation, is a disgrace. PSA testing makes a lifesaving difference, ensuring more men can get treatment early. The ability to request one for free from your GP, even if symptomless, was part of encouraging more men over 50 to test. More lives will be lost needlessly if this change is not reversed.”
If you have any concerns about your own health and prostate cancer, you can find lots of information on the NHS website (Click here) and the Torbay Prostate Support Association website (Click here) or contact your GP.
