Rishi Sunak today joins the Daily Mail’s campaign for nationwide prostate cancer screening after seeing ‘too many friends’ battle the disease.
The former PM added his support to the growing clamour for targeted testing on the NHS for those at the greatest risk of suffering with the disease, the most common form of cancer among men, with 55,000 new cases a year.
And Mr Sunak, 44, praised the Mail’s long-running call for action, saying this newspaper’s coverage of the issue ‘piqued my interest’ on a disease which most frequently affects black men, and those with a family history of it.
He said a new British-made test – with a more than 90 per cent accuracy rate – gave fresh hope that thousands of lives could be saved every year if it was made available as part of a targeted nationwide roll-out.
Announcing his decision to become an ambassador for Prostate Cancer Research (PCR), his first public cause since leaving No 10 last July, Mr Sunak said: ‘There is great research being done by PCR and other charities about why the country would benefit [from a screening programme], not just that the NHS would save an enormous amount of money, but most importantly we can save thousands of lives.’
Mr Sunak added: ‘I absolutely commend the Mail who have been a long-standing supporter of this cause, and rightly so.’
Some men suffer from problems urinating, but prostate cancer is often symptomless, meaning early detection is crucial in stopping the disease’s spread.
Yet the most recent attempt to trigger a nationwide screening drive in 2020 was dismissed after experts raised concerns over the efficacy of tests available then.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak has added his support to calls for nationwide targeted testing for prostate cancer. Pictured: Mr Sunak at Oxford Biodynamics, the firm behind next-generation blood test EpiSwitch PSE
Mr Sunak announced he had become an ambassador for Prostate Cancer Research (pictured with case examples Dafydd Charles, Brian Milne and Alfred Milne)
Mr Sunak last week toured the headquarters of Oxford BioDynamics, the firm behind next-generation blood test EpiSwitch PSE. The test is 94 per cent accurate in identifying men with prostate cancer – compared to the standard test, thought only to be correct in around half of cases.
A new, targeted testing programme would invite black men and any over-45 man with a familial history of the disease to give a blood sample for analysis.
Oxford BioDynamics executive chairman Iain Ross said: ‘The support of Mr Sunak and PCR is a powerful testament to the importance of early, accurate prostate cancer detection through next-generation tests like the EpiSwitch PSE.’
In government, Mr Sunak announced with PCR a £42million screening trial to find ways of detecting prostate cancer earlier.
But it is hoped a national screening programme would be the most effective way to prevent unnecessary deaths.
The UK national screening committee (NSC) has come under increasing pressure to reconsider testing policy following the news last year of Sir Chris Hoy’s diagnosis with the terminal illness.
The 48-year-old six-time Olympic gold medallist said he has been given between two and four years to live. And he revealed going public with his own diagnosis led to a friend’s prostate cancer being caught early.
The Conservative MP, 44, said he had got himself tested after being impacted by the number of his friends affected by the disease
Mr Sunak said he was so impacted by the number of friends affected by the disease he got a test himself. He said: ‘You go and get a simple blood test. Knowledge is power and that’s why I wanted that reassurance.’
During the visit to Oxford BioDynamics, Mr Sunak met with men affected by prostate cancer.
Alfred Samuels, 66, who was given just months to live when he was diagnosed in 2011, said a technology-backed roll-out would be ‘priceless’. The former A-list close protection officer from north-west London added: ‘It will give men much more hope, much more direction.’
