Getting diagnosed with prostate cancer
Screening means testing people without symptoms for early stages of a cancer, or for early changes that could develop into cancer if left untreated. For screening to be useful the tests:
need to be reliable at picking up cancers that need treatment
overall must do more good than harm to people taking part
must be something that people are willing to do
Screening tests are not perfect and have some harms as well as benefits.
In the UK, there is an independent body of experts. They are called the National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC makes recommendations to governments on screening programmes. They base these on the best scientific evidence.
The UK NSC will only recommend a screening programme if overall, the benefits outweigh the harms. The screening programme should also be good value for money for the NHS.
Read more about how cancer screening programmes are decided in the UK
In 2025, the UK NSC reviewed the evidence on prostate cancer screening. As a result of this review, they don't recommend screening all men for prostate cancer. This is because there isn’t enough strong evidence to show that screening everyone would do more good than harm.
The UK NSC looked at the evidence to support targeted screening for prostate cancer. Targeted screening means you only offer screening to people at higher risk of prostate cancer.
They developed a draft recommendation and invited feedback from organisations, experts and the public. After carefully considering this with the latest evidence, the UK NSC made their final recommendation in May 2026.
Read more about the UK NSC's evidence review in our news section
The UK NSC recommends prostate cancer screening for men aged 45 to 61 who know they have a gene change (mutation) that increases the risk of cancer, and they have a relevant family history of cancer. This means having a family history of one or more of these cancer types:
breast cancer
ovarian cancer
pancreatic cancer
prostate cancer
Screening would mean offering a PSA test every 2 years to this group of men. This includes non binary people assigned male at birth and trans women.
The UK NSC recommend screening men who have a BRCA2 gene change and a relevant family history because there is strong evidence that they are more likely to develop fast growing prostate cancer. Fast growing cancers can progress quickly and cause harm without treatment.
Some people have changes to the , which can also increase the risk of some cancers. At this stage, the UK NSC does not recommend prostate cancer screening for men with BRCA1 gene changes. This is because there is not enough strong evidence that people with BRCA1 gene changes are more likely to develop faster growing prostate cancers.
You have to have a genetic test to find out if you have a change to the BRCA2 gene. A BRCA gene change is uncommon. And it’s unlikely someone will have a BRCA gene change without a strong family history of cancer.
Talk to your GP if you are worried that you have a strong family history of cancer. The more relatives you have with the same or related cancers, and the younger they were when diagnosed, the stronger your family history is. This makes it more likely the cancers are linked to an inherited gene change.
Having a BRCA2 gene change doesn’t mean you will definitely get cancer, but it increases your risk.
Your GP can talk to you about whether you need a referral to a genetics clinic.
Find out more about inherited cancer genes and cancer risk
The UK governments need to accept these recommendations before targeted screening can start.
If they do agree, it will take a bit of time to work out the best way of delivering prostate screening across the 4 nations. So it is likely to be a while before men with a BRCA2 gene change and relevant family history of cancer can have regular PSA tests as part of screening.
If you have a gene change and have questions, speak to your doctor or genetics specialist.
Read more about the UK NSC's final recommendations about targeted prostate cancer screening
PSA stands for prostate specific antigen. It’s a protein made by both normal and cancerous prostate cells. It's normal for all men to have some PSA in their blood.
Although the PSA test helps to detect some cancers, research shows it is not a reliable screening test in all men.
This is because the PSA test is not reliable enough to detect prostate cancer that needs treatment. The PSA test can:
miss some cancers - this is called a false negative
suggest someone has cancer when they don’t - this is called a false positive
lead to overdiagnosis – this is when someone is diagnosed with a cancer that would not have caused them any harm in their life
Many prostate cancers grow and spread very slowly and would not cause any harm in someone’s lifetime. But the PSA test can’t tell which people have prostate cancer like this. And which have prostate cancer that is likely to progress quickly and cause harm without treatment.
Overdiagnosis is the diagnosis of a cancer that wouldn’t have gone on to cause harm. Detecting these cancers, often through screening, can lead to:
having treatments you don’t need
anxiety
treatment side effects, such as leaking urine or problems getting an erection, without any real treatment benefit
Find out about treatment for prostate cancer
A high level of PSA can be a sign of prostate cancer. But your PSA level can also be raised because of other conditions that aren't cancer. This includes:
a urine infection
a benign enlarged prostate
The PSA test can also miss some prostate cancers. Studies have shown that:
around 15 out of 100 men with a normal PSA level (around 15%) have prostate cancer - this is a false negative
around 72 to 80 out of 100 men (around 72 to 80%) with a raised PSA do not have prostate cancer - this is a false positive
Because of this, and the risk of over diagnosis, the PSA test on its own is not recommended as a prostate cancer screening test for all men.
Men can ask their GP for a PSA blood test if they want. Your GP will explain the potential benefits and risks of having a PSA test. Together you can decide whether or not to have the PSA test.
Researchers have looked at the PSA test for prostate cancer screening. This was to screen those without symptoms. But overall studies show that this only leads to a small reduction in the number of men dying from prostate cancer. Studies also show that some men are diagnosed with a prostate cancer that would not have caused problems or needed treatment.
Researchers are inviting some men to join a large trial called TRANSFORM. This trial is looking for the best way to screen men for prostate cancer. The researchers are comparing screening tests including fast MRI scans, genetic spit tests and PSA blood tests. They will then look at the most promising screening tests to see how well they detect prostate cancer. They will also look at what harm the tests cause. Visit Prostate Cancer UK to read more about the TRANSFORM trial
Other research is ongoing to improve prostate cancer screening. This includes:
screening men at increased risk to see how certain gene changes affect their risk
using a saliva test to look for gene changes to tell who has an increased risk of prostate cancer
using new types of MRI scan to screen for early prostate cancers
new blood and saliva tests
More research is needed to find out whether these tests are reliable enough to detect prostate cancer.
Find out more about research for prostate cancer
Speak to your GP if you are worried about your risk of prostate cancer. Some people are more likely to develop prostate cancer than others.
Find out more about the risks and causes of prostate cancer
Talk to your GP if you notice anything unusual for you. Most urinary symptoms such as difficulty passing urine are not caused by prostate cancer, but it is important to get them checked.
Last reviewed: 28 May 2026
Next review due: 28 May 2029
Prostate cancer doesn't usually cause any symptoms in the early stages.
Your GP will ask about your general health and any urinary symptoms you may have. They may also do some general tests and examine your prostate gland.
Your GP should arrange for you to see a prostate cancer specialist if you have symptoms that could be due to prostate cancer.
You have a number of tests to check for prostate cancer. These may include a digital rectal examination, a PSA blood test, scans and a biopsy.
Your risk of developing prostate cancer depends on many things including age, family history and ethnicity.
Prostate cancer is cancer that starts in the prostate gland. The prostate gland is found at the base of the bladder and is about the size of a walnut.
About Cancer generously supported by Dangoor Education since 2010. Learn more about Dangoor Education
Search our clinical trials database for all cancer trials and studies recruiting in the UK.
Connect with other people affected by cancer and share your experiences.
Questions about cancer? Call freephone 0808 800 40 40 from 9 to 5 - Monday to Friday. Alternatively, you can email us.
