A sobering statistic
The statistics in the
UK show that Black men are twice as likely to get prostate cancer and,
consequently, twice as likely to die from the disease. In plain numbers, this
means that 1 in 4 Black men will encounter the disease in their lifetime.
So, it was quite
disappointing when, in November 2025, the UK National Screening Committee (NSC)
advised against routine prostate cancer screening for the majority of men.
That advice included
the very men most susceptible to the disease, and it was justified by concerns
over the overdiagnosis and overtreatment of what might essentially be benign
conditions.
Blog - Men's
things XXVIII: Shame, no national prostate cancer screening
To withhold the
opportunity from a cohort that is most medically affected and usually
clinically ignored, especially given the tendency of such men to be culturally
diffident on intimate matters, where masculinity, machismo, and sexual virility
are taken to demonstrate manliness and personify manhood, was as close to
unconscionable as one could get.
Renewed hope:
TRANSFORM
It is therefore
gratifying that, two days ago, the TRANSFORM prostate
cancer screening trial received further funding. The trial, which began in
autumn 2025 after being proposed in spring 2024, will now invite men at the
highest risk of prostate cancer to benefit from research, early detection, and
more effective treatments. [GOV.UK:
Major expansion of research and treatment for prostate cancer]
All eligible Black
men will be invited to participate in this initiative, which is jointly funded
and supported by Prostate
Cancer UK and the National
Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). This should accelerate
community engagement and deepen it, particularly amongst Black men.
In June 2026, when
stage 2 of the trial commences, all eligible Black men will be invited,
including Black men who:
- are aged 45 to 74
- are resident in the UK
- have not had a PSA test or prostate MRI
scan in the last 5 years
My own journey
Two years after my
prostate cancer diagnosis, and twenty months after completing radical
radiotherapy, the prognosis is good. My PSA is at the lowest reading it has
been since I was first screened in February 2024.
I urge every Black
man to take up this screening opportunity, all the more so if he carries the BRCA2
gene variant and has a family history of prostate, breast, pancreatic, or
ovarian cancer.
Know the warning
signs
Beyond that, a man
should have his prostate checked if he gets up multiple times at night to
urinate, waits a while to start, strains to begin, does not feel he has fully
emptied his bladder after a visit to the toilet, or has pressing urges to pass
urine.
Not every prostate
enlargement is indicative of cancer, but it must be investigated by medical
personnel. This is good news for Black men; now step forward and take control
of your health.
Blog - Men's
things XXXII: For the Boys in the Room: Why Your PSA Matters
Blog - Photons
on the Prostate: Three Things I Wish I'd Known
Blog - Men's
things: Prostate Cancer blogs
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