A new report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Prostate Cancer shows that the risks of overdiagnosis and overtreatment – long seen as key barriers to a national screening programme – have been dramatically reduced thanks to advances in diagnostic tools and approaches.
In 2025, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is considering a number of potential screening scenarios for prostate cancer as part of a new review. One of the principal arguments against screening for prostate cancer in the past has been the danger of ‘overdiagnoses’ and ‘overtreatment’. The APPG report, drawing on new research, real-world data and patient perspectives, analyses the benefit-to-harm ratio and how it has shifted significantly since the last UK NSC review in 2020. It shows that modern tests are far more accurate at identifying which cancers need treatment, while avoiding unnecessary intervention for lower-risk cases.
The evidence is striking; harms from the prostate cancer diagnostic process have fallen by 79% compared to older trials, and the risk of sepsis has dropped by 90%. MRI scanning, improved prognosis tools and the wider use of active surveillance mean that many men can now avoid invasive procedures and harmful side effects.
The report makes several recommendations aimed at ensuring that improvements to the diagnostic pathway continue, and shows that these advances tip the benefit-to-harm balance in favour of screening.
David James, director of patient projects and influencing, said: “This report shows the significant progress made in reducing the risks of unnecessary, harmful biopsies and overtreatment. The challenge now is to ensure every man – no matter where he lives or what his background – can benefit equally. That means continued investment in prostate cancer care, faster rollout of proven innovations, and a targeted national screening programme for those at highest risk.”
The secretariat for the APPG is provided by Prostate Cancer Research and Prostate Cancer UK. To find out more about the work of the APPG visit the website here.
Janssen (now Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine) provided grant funding which supported Prostate Cancer Research to gather and analyse patient and public perspectives on overdiagnosis and overtreatment of prostate cancer. These insights were shared with the APPG and evidence included in the APPG’s report.