David Cameron has disclosed that he was diagnosed with cancer as he called upon the government to introduce targeted screening.
The former prime minister said that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer after being encouraged to get tested by his wife, Samantha.
Lord Cameron told The Times that he wanted to add his name to the long list of people calling for a targeted screening programme.
“I would feel bad if I didn’t come forward and say that I’ve had this experience. I had a scan. It helped me discover something that was wrong. It gave me the chance to deal with it,” he said.
Following his diagnosis, he said he wanted to support a call by the charity Prostate Cancer Research for screening to be offered to men deemed at high risk.
Lord Cameron said he was diagnosed with cancer after taking a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, looking for key proteins linked to the cancer. A biopsy confirmed the diagnosis.
“You always dread hearing those words,” he told The Times.
“I had this decision to make, which lots of people with prostate cancer have,” he said.
“Do you watch and wait? Or do you look at what the treatment options are? Do I want to take the risk of not acting, or do I want to take the risks of acting?”
Lord Cameron said he elected to have focal therapy, where needles deliver electric pulses to destroy cancerous cells. After the successful treatment, he was given another MRI scan in June.
He acknowledged his “platform”, adding: “This is something we’ve really got to think about, talk about, and if necessary, act on.”
Screening for all men over the age of 50 with PSA tests would reduce deaths by 13 per cent over two decades, by helping to catch the disease early, a recent trial showed.
At present, 12,000 men in the UK die from prostate cancer every year.
On Thursday, the government’s National Screening Committee (NSC) is expected to meet to make a decision on whether to green-light the NHS’s first screening programme for prostate cancer.
Routine at-home blood tests for prostate cancer could be rolled out across the country for the first time under new plans to tackle health challenges faced by men and boys.
Currently, routine PSA testing is not offered on the NHS, but men may be offered one if a GP suspects they have prostate cancer.
Men over the age of 50 can ask their GP for a PSA test, even if they do not have symptoms, but officials have faced increased calls for a screening programme to be introduced.
Prostate cancer, which has 55,300 new cases every year, is one of the most common killers of men in modern Britain.
Under the new government plans, patients will be offered video calls with consultants, healthcare staff will receive training on problems that affect men, and research will receive better funding.
This includes the development of PSA testing for those being monitored for the disease. If approved, the tests will be available to order via the NHS app from 2027.
