Scottish Government to review guidance as Sir Chris Hoy calls for men to get tested for prostate cancer

The Scottish Government is to review guidance for prostate cancer after Sir Chris Hoy called for more men to be screened in the wake of his terminal diagnosis.

Health secretary Neil Gray said he would write to the UK screening committee for further guidance on potentially changing recommendations around prostate cancer screening - following a similar statement from the UK Government.

Currently, NHS Scotland guidelines say anyone can request a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test if they are over the age of 50. There is no national screening programme for prostate cancer in Scotland or the rest of the UK.

He said: “I pay tribute to Sir Chris Hoy for the courage and the leadership he has shown in talking about his case, which I know will be incredibly difficult for his family to be going through. I am very much in awe of the work that he is doing and raising awareness of cancer issues in general, but prostate in particular.

“We will obviously take heed of what he is telling us in terms of his story and the ask that he has made. I'm going to be writing to the UK screening committee asking them to carry out a review as to the evidence that is there around the likes of the PSA test, the blood test, that I believe plays a part - but not the only part - in terms of determining a diagnosis for cancer.”

He added: “Obviously, we take our led from the UK screening committee in terms of what makes the best difference, and anyone over the age of 50 who has symptoms or a family history has the right to request a test and to have the conversation with their doctor as to the benefits and negatives of that approach.

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“What Chris Hoy has asked us to do is look again at the evidence around whether or not we could be offering something at an earlier stage and doing so on a more national basis and that is something certainly that I'm interested in. I want to explore that of the back of the incredible leadership that he has shown.”

Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris is urging men with a family history of the disease to consider seeing their GP, and for more men to be aware of the PSA blood test to check for the disease.

Both Sir Chris’s grandfather and father had prostate cancer, which can run in families.

“If you’ve got family history of it, like I have, if you’re over the age of 45, go and ask your doctor,” Sir Chris told BBC Breakfast.

“I’ve got a friend who, when I told him my news early on confidentially, he went and got a PSA test and it turned out he had cancer. He’s had treatment and he’s been given the all-clear.”

He said men should be able to get a screening test when they are younger, with no barriers to accessing one.

“Catch it before you need to have any major treatment. To me it seems a no-brainer. Reduce the age, allow more men to just go in and get a blood test.

“Maybe people seeing this or hearing about my story – just by them asking their GP – will create enough of a surge of interest that people that make the decisions will go ‘You know what, we need to address this’. And in the long term this will save potentially millions of lives.”

The charity Prostate Cancer UK also advises that black people or those with a family history of prostate cancer may want to speak to their GP about having a PSA test from the age of 45.

GPs are currently told to use their clinical judgment for men aged under 50 without symptoms who they consider to be at increased risk of prostate cancer.

Men with symptoms of any age can request a test.

The PSA test on its own is not currently recommended as a screening test for prostate cancer because, although a high level of PSA can be a sign of the disease, PSA levels can also be raised because of other things like a urine infection.

The PSA test also misses some prostate cancers – one in seven men with a normal PSA result actually have the disease.

Newer, more accurate tests are being developed.

Mr Gray’s comments come after UK health secretary Wes Streeting said he had asked the NHS in England to look at the case for lowering the screening age on prostate cancer.

He said: “I can tell Chris we are now actively looking at the case – we’ve obviously got to be evidence-led, (have) clinically led decisions… but we are acting actively looking at it as a result of his intervention.”

Data shows that men who have a brother or father with prostate cancer are 2.5 times more likely to develop the disease and the risk increases even further if they were under 60 when diagnosed.

Chiara De Biase, director of health services, equity and improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, said the charity welcomed the governments’

She said: “We’re grateful to Sir Chris for so bravely and openly telling his story this morning.”

“One in eight men will get prostate cancer but there’s currently no screening programme for the disease.

“If your dad or brother has had prostate cancer, or you’re black, you have the highest risk of getting the disease, and we strongly recommend you talk to your GP about testing from 45.

“Right now, you need to be aware of this and bring it up with a GP yourself. As prostate cancer often has no symptoms in its earlier stages this is leading to too many men getting a late, incurable diagnosis – like Sir Chris.”