EDM 1603: Equitable national prostate cancer screening

That this House welcomes the #ProactiveForYourProstate campaign led by Prostate Cancer Research (PCR); congratulates campaigners, such as Teignmouth campaigner Jason Yeo, for their work advocating for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing for all men at age 50, and earlier for those in high-risk categories; calls for the Government to back this campaign; notes with concern that prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among men in the United Kingdom, claiming more than 12,000 lives each year, while survival rates are close to 100 per cent when the disease is detected early; recognises that men of Black heritage, those with a family history of prostate cancer and carriers of certain genetic mutations face up to double the average risk of diagnosis and mortality; is alarmed that the present informed-choice framework requires men aged 50 and over proactively to request a PSA blood test from their GP, a system that disproportionately fails high-risk and socio-economically deprived groups and entrenches health inequalities; applauds PCR and supporters for highlighting the urgent need for an equitable, population-wide prostate cancer screening programme and for championing greater public awareness; further calls on the Government and the UK National Screening Committee to accelerate the development and roll-out of a national screening pathway that prioritises high-risk groups and eliminates postcode or socio-economic disparities; and urges Ministers to engage with PCR, clinicians, patient representatives and campaigners to introduce interim measures that expand early-detection access while long-term protocols are finalised.