A “once in a lifetime” test for prostate cancer could be offered to men at the age of 55 under plans being investigated in a trial at UCL.
Scientists think it may be possible to give men a one-off MRI scan in late middle age that will either result in an all-clear — indicating no real likelihood of them ever developing a clinically relevant prostate cancer — or show that they need regular follow-ups.
Traditional prostate screening, which looks for markers in the blood, is notoriously unreliable and is now not offered in most health services as standard. It is available in Britain at GP surgeries but there is no national screening programme.
This is because the tests are “fraught with errors”, said Mark Emberton,…
