![\"Lord](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lord-cameron.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMen are set to lose the right to prostate cancer tests in what has been branded as a \u201cmajor betrayal\u201d.<\/p>\n
Men over 50 will no longer be entitled to a blood test that is key to catching the cancer early. <\/p>\n
Until now, any man over 50 has been entitled to a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test via their GP, without requiring symptoms to be present.<\/p>\n
However, new guidance will remove that right, instead moving to a model that leaves family doctors to decide whether testing is required.<\/p>\n
Lord Cameron, the former Prime Minister, who has undergone treatment for prostate cancer after taking a test, has said it was a \u201cbackward step\u201d.<\/p>\n
Lord Cameron told The Telegraph: \u201cThis is yet another step backwards and once again shows why we need simple, proper targeted screening for all at-risk men.<\/p>\n
\u201cScreening is essential to catch cancers early, when they can be more effectively and successfully treated. Only due to testing, my cancer was caught and treated in time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI urge the new Prime Minister and Health Secretary to be brave and bold. Stop the complexity and confusion and introduce a more progressive and life-saving policy: a proper, targeted screening programme that involves all those at higher risk.<\/p>\n
Lord Cameron has urged the Prime Minister to reconsider the changes <\/p>\n
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\u201cWithout it, more men will die, and more families will lose a loved one. Heed the warnings, this is avoidable and can be done.\u201d<\/p>\n
The decision was taken by the Department of Health and Social Care and was taken without public consultation; it now leaves the decision for GPs to decide.<\/p>\n
A DHSC letter sent to health organisations on Thursday says that \u201cthe prostate cancer risk management programme guidance has been withdrawn\u201d.<\/p>\n
The original guidance said the test was \u201cavailable free to any man aged 50 or above who requests it\u201d.<\/p>\n
![\"\\u200bProstate](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/u200bprostate-cancer.jpg\")
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer within men in the UK<\/p>\n
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It now states: \u201cIf a patient is worried about prostate cancer, then they can ask their GP about having a PSA test.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the health professional, the GP will consider the patient\u2019s cancer risk to help with reaching a judgment on whether undertaking a PSA test is the right option for the patient, whilst clearly laying out to the patient the pros and cons associated with doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n
David James, director of patient projects and influencing at charity Prostate Cancer Research, said: \u201cThis is a shocking betrayal and backward step that will condemn thousands more men each year to a late and incurable diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe Government rejected wider prostate cancer screening using a UK National Screening Committee model that assumed opportunistic PSA testing would continue, despite experts warning that this distorted the comparison and inflated the harms of screening. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow, having used that model to argue screening would cause too much harm, it is dismantling the very testing system the model assumed would stay in place.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t just inconsistent, it is a sleight of hand. Men are being left with the worst of both worlds: no widespread national screening programme, while facing greater barriers to getting a PSA test that could lead to their cancer being caught while it can still be cured.<\/p>\n
\u201cUndoubtedly this will save the NHS money and MRI capacity in the short term, but it is a false economy. <\/p>\n
\u201cAny savings made today will ultimately be paid for twice: by an NHS treating far more expensive advanced disease, and by men being told their cancer was found too late to cure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer within men in the UK. Around 63,000 people are diagnosed each year, with 12,000 deaths. <\/p>\n
A spokesman for the DHSC said the policy had not changed, the previous guidance had been \u201cretired\u201d due to its ambiguity.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cEvery man still has the right to ask their GP for a PSA test, and it remains the case that the final decision rests with GPs.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll this letter does is tell GPs and others where to find the most up-to-date guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Men are set to lose the right to prostate cancer tests in what has been branded as a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":739516,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[847,59,102,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-739515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-cancer","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=739515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/739516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=739515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=739515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=739515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}