Prostate cancer screening for all middle-aged men could start within five years, an expert says.
The Prostate-Specific Antigen test that is currently used does not distinguish between dangerous and harmless tumours.
But Prof Ros Eeles, of the Institute of Cancer Research, said a “tailored screening programme” could be available within five years.
While she admitted “we do need some more data”, Prof Eeles said: “With the advances in genetics and imaging, particularly MRI, we’re probably looking at getting close to a tailored screening programme in the next three to five years.
"We might need to use all of them together… so we can find those who have significant disease.”
The PSA test detects proteins in the prostate gland.
It is only used on patients with symptoms but can be unreliable.
Prof Eeles explained that just one in 12 over-55s with high PSA really need treatment for prostate cancer.
Tumours in the vast majority of men testing positive for PSA are likely to be so slow-growing and would never cause problems so screening could save those men from undergoing gruelling cancer treatment.
NHS guidance acknowledges that screening reduces a man’s chance of dying from prostate cancer.
But it says a PSA screening programme “would mean many men receive treatment unnecessarily.”
One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Around 12,000 die each year.
