# Screening for prostate cancer likely to reduce deaths but risks remain – review

By Dr Matthew Hobbs — 2026-05-15

Dr Matthew Hobbs, director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “This is an important study, which provides a robust review of the current clinical trial evidence on PSA screening, consistent with other recent work.

“We know from past trials that screening based on PSA can save men’s lives, but not nearly enough.

“These findings again show that there is some benefit from PSA-based screening, with two deaths prevented per 1,000 men screened.

“However, 87 per cent of deaths from prostate cancer still happen, and the review also highlights that the risk of overdiagnosis remains high.

“More research is needed to plug critical evidence gaps and to find the safest and most effective way to screen men for prostate cancer, ensuring the benefits outweigh the harms.

“Prostate Cancer UK’s TRANSFORM trial is up and running and is designed to find those answers.

“It will fill gaps left by the last generation of screening trials and will invite more black men than any other screening trial has ever done, so we can also build the evidence base we need for the group of men who have the most to gain from effective screening.

“In the meantime, we must ensure that all men at risk of prostate cancer can make informed choice about whether or not to have a PSA blood test, so each man can decide what is best for him.

“This research shows again that this is not a simple decision, and we must be honest with men about the benefits but also about the potential harms.

“Prostate Cancer UK’s website and our 30-second online Risk Checker are the best starting point for men to get the balanced, evidence-based information they need to make their own choice about what to do next.”

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