One in six prostate cancer deaths could be prevented if high-risk cases were screened

© KATERYNA KON/Science Photo Library RFProstate Cancer Cells  -  KATERYNA KON/Science Photo Library RF 

One in six prostate cancer deaths could be prevented if high-risk cases were screened,  research suggests. 

The strategy would mean all middle-aged men were offered a one-off blood test, to establish who is genetically predisposed to the disease, and in need of regular checks. 

Researchers from University College London said that offering a blood test and MRI scan to those at heightened risk could prevent one in six deaths from the disease.

Every year, around 48,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer, with more than 11,500 deaths. 

There is no national screening programme for the disease. Those over the age of 50, and younger men with a family history of the disease can seek blood tests but on their own they are not a reliable indicator of the disease. 

Current medical practice means only those suspected of having prostate cancer have a blood test, which is then followed by an MRI scan.

But experts claim thousands more lives could be saved, if regular checks were offered to those at highest risk. 

Modelling published in JAMA Network Open found "risk-tailored" screening based on age and genetic profile could prevent up to 16 per cent of prostate cancer deaths.

Lead researcher Dr Tom Callender, from UCL, said: "Prostate cancer is a leading cause of death from cancer amongst men, but there is no screening programme because the harms of screening are considered to outweigh the benefits."

"However those at higher genetic risk are more likely to benefit from screening and less likely to be harmed.

The test - called a polygenic test - can identify individuals with genes that suggest a high risk of prostate cancer, singling out those who should be offered more targeted checks, he said. 

The study found that around one in six deaths could be avoided, if checkups every four years were targeted on the half of men aged 55 to 69 who were at greatest genetic risk. 

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Such a programme would reduce overdiagnosis by 27 per cent, the study found.

Senior author, Professor Nora Pashayan, said: "In men with a positive screening blood test, we found that using an individual's genetic profile alongside a diagnostic pathway that uses MRI scanning before biopsy, could reduce unnecessary diagnoses whilst preventing deaths from prostate cancer by detecting the cancers at an early, curable stage."

Co-author, Professor Mark Emberton, UCL Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences: "Our study shows that screening for prostate cancer - which could save between 16 per cent and 20 per cent of prostate cancer deaths - might be possible with targeted screening using genetic risk and MRI as part of the diagnostic pathway. This paves the way for further clinical trials to study the real-world implementation of such a screening programme."

This study was carried out with researchers from the University of Cambridge.

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