Men could soon be offered prostate cancer risk test in supermarket car park

MEN could soon be offered a ten minute scan in a supermarket car park that will tell if they are likely to die from prostate cancer.

Experts say fellas may only need one scan between the age of 55 and 60 and be given peace of mind for the rest of their life.

The revolutionary exam would be the first time a national screening programme for prostate cancer has been offered on the NHS.

It has been likened to a mammogram, which is offered to women every three years from 50 to 71 to check for signs of breast cancer. Some 450 men have already had the potentially lifesaving MRI scan as part of a clinical trial, with 350 more due later this year.

If the two trials prove successful, researchers expect the checks to be offered from mobile scanners in every major town in England.

MOST IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT IN 50 YEARS

Prof Mark Emberton, from University College London, said the scans are the most important development in prostate cancer diagnosis in 50 years.

They should identify men with aggressive tumours, which require treatment because they are more likely to spread and be deadly.

Those with no signs of cancer or with less aggressive tumours that are never likely to cause problems will be spared treatment.

Around 47,200 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK each year, with 11,600 dying from the disease.

Prof Emberton discussed his upcoming trial and hopes for a national screening programme at the Cheltenham Science Festival.

He said: “The trials being done are a world-first and MRI scans are the most important development in prostate cancer diagnosis for 50 years.

ONCE IN A LIFETIME TEST

“If we show this works, we hope policy-makers will examine the evidence and look at screening for all men aged 55 to 60.

“MRIs are getting cheaper, quicker and simpler, which means they will not need to be done in a hospital.

“It is quite possible for MRIs to be done in supermarket car parks and to have one in every major town.

“We hope 90 per cent of all men would get a clean bill of health as a result of having a negative MRI.

“Men increasingly worry about prostate cancer as celebrities share their stories.

“After Stephen Fry and others shared their stories, many men came to hospital clinics looking for reassurance.

“A negative MRI is the surest way we have of providing that reassurance.” He added: “If it works, I think in time - and I can’t see why it won’t - maybe we have a test that we can offer men aged 55, as a once in a lifetime test to see if you’re at risk of prostate cancer.

“And then if you are, you go into a surveillance programme.” Prof Hashim Ahmed, who led the earlier trial at Imperial College London, said: “We wanted an imaging test similar to a mammogram which could be used in men.

“We see similar rates of diagnoses and deaths in prostate and breast cancer, so it makes sense.

“In the future we might be able to justify screening all healthy older men for prostate cancer just as we do for women with breast cancer.” Sophia Lowes, from

Cancer Research UK, said the charity does not currently back a prostate screening programme because existing tests are not reliable enough.

But she added: “If there was good evidence that an MRI was an effective, acceptable screening tool and not too expensive, that could change our position.

“We need to know if men will attend and ensure it would not cause harm, like flagging up harmless cancers which might never trouble someone in their lifetime.”

Karen Stalbow, from Prostate Cancer UK said: “This trial could provide an exciting step towards our ambition for a national screening programme that enables men to get the early prostate cancer diagnosis that can save more lives.

“If the results are positive, then MRI scanning could offer a non-invasive first stage of prostate cancer diagnosis in the future.

“Anything that offers men an easy and more effective way to be checked for prostate cancer is a good thing and we await the results with interest.”

NHS England said: “NHS England is already rolling out some of the latest developments in MRI scanning for prostate cancer diagnosis and care as part of our ambitions to catch more cancers earlier and save lives.

“This new test is potentially an exciting development that the NHS will look at as more evidence becomes available.”

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