Why isn there a national screening programme for prostate cancer?
All screening programmes cause some harm. This could include false alarms, inducing anxiety, and the treatment of early disease which would not otherwise have become a problem. When considering population screening programmes the benefits and harms must be carefully assessed, and the benefits should always outweigh the harms. Until there is clear evidence to show that a national screening programme will bring more benefit than harm, the NHS will not be inviting men who have no symptoms for prostate cancer screening. In 1968, Wilson and Jungner of the World Health Organisation developed ten principles which should govern a national screening programme. These are: • The condition is an important health problem • Its natural history is well understood • It is recognisable at an early stage • Treatment is better at an early stage • A suitable test exists • An acceptable test exists • Adequate facilities exist to cope with abnormalities detected • Screening is done at repeated intervals whe
