Daijiworld Media Network - London

London, Nov 22: A major prostate cancer screening trial, the biggest in decades, has been launched in the UK to find safer and more effective ways to detect the disease. Funded with £42 million by Prostate Cancer UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Transform trial will initially invite men aged 50-74 to participate, with the lower age limit set at 45 for Black men, who face twice the risk of developing and dying from prostate cancer compared with white men.

Hashim Ahmed, chief investigator of the trial, called it “truly game-changing,” noting that recruitment marks a pivotal step toward improving early diagnosis and reducing preventable deaths. The trial will explore the use of rapid MRI scans combined with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests, as well as spit tests to extract DNA from saliva, aiming to enhance diagnostic accuracy while reducing unnecessary treatments.

Matthew Hobbs, research director at Prostate Cancer UK, highlighted that current methods often miss aggressive cancers or lead to over-treatment, causing complications such as incontinence and impotence. “We need to avoid unnecessary harm while ensuring early detection of life-threatening cancers,” he said.

Danny Burkey, 60, from West Yorkshire, who was diagnosed four years ago after the cancer had already spread to his bones, welcomed the initiative. “A screening programme would be a game changer. If we want to stop 12,000 men dying early every year, it’s the obvious solution,” he said.

The trial coincides with the National Screening Committee’s upcoming announcement on whether to recommend routine prostate cancer screening for men in the UK. Initial results from Transform are expected in around two years, after which the study may expand to include up to 300,000 men nationwide.