Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with about 55,000 new cases every year. But despite its popularity, it remains the most common cancer in the UK without a formal screening programme - a bit like the most popular kid in school who somehow never gets invited to the party.
Only a small group of high-risk men are currently eligible for regular screening, because the harms associated with the PSA blood test apparently outweigh the benefits in most cases. However, tens of thousands more black men aged 45-74 are to be invited for checks as part of an ongoing trial called TRANSFORM, because the government has finally noticed that black men have double the risk - one in four versus one in eight for the general population.
The prostate, a walnut-sized gland sitting just below the bladder, surrounds the urethra - the tube that takes urine out through the penis. Prostate cancer involves abnormal and uncontrolled cell growth, often developing slowly. Some people never develop problems; others get the aggressive, deadly version that ruins everyone's day.
There are about 12,200 prostate cancer deaths every year, according to Cancer Research UK. It's most common in men over 75, and cases in the under-50s are rare. Your risk goes up if you have a close relative - father, brother, grandfather, or uncle - who's had it. Symptoms can also be caused by other conditions, but the responsible thing is to get checked anyway.
Prostate Cancer UK has a 30-second online risk checker. You should speak to your GP if you think you're at higher risk. There's no single diagnostic test; doctors use a combination of the PSA blood test, scans, and biopsies. A high PSA doesn't always mean cancer - it can also spike from infections or, apparently, vigorous exercise and sexual activity. So if you want a PSA test, refrain from both for two days beforehand. Yes, you read that right.
Doctors are considering whether adding MRI scans to PSA tests might improve the situation. Campaigners, including cyclist Sir Chris Hoy - who announced his cancer is terminal - have argued for regular testing of high-risk groups. In May 2026, ministers backed a UK National Screening Committee recommendation that only men with a BRCA2 gene variant and a family history of breast, ovarian, pancreatic, or prostate cancer should be eligible for regular testing. That's a few thousand men each year, invited for a PSA blood test every two years between ages 45 and 61.
The screening committee noted that screening can miss deadly cancers and detect those that never need treatment. The small number of lives saved would be outweighed by patients harmed by unnecessary treatment, which can lead to loss of bladder control. So, the NHS is essentially saying: we'd rather not catch it than over-treat it.
Meanwhile, the TRANSFORM trial will invite all black men aged 45-74 to participate in research investigating better testing methods. Charity Prostate Cancer UK called it "a truly historic moment." Treatment options include observation, surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, and destroying cancer cells with extreme cold (cryotherapy) or high-intensity focused ultrasound. Because when it comes to fighting cancer, we'll freeze it or fry it - whatever works.