Former Prime Minister Lord David Cameron has revealed he was successfully treated for prostate cancer and is now calling for a targeted screening programme for the UK's most common male cancer. The announcement comes as the UK National Screening Committee prepares to decide this week whether to introduce the country's first prostate cancer screening programme.
Cameron, 59, was prompted to get tested by his wife Samantha after they heard Soho House founder Nick Jones discussing his experience with the disease on the radio a year ago. He underwent a prostate specific antigen test, an MRI scan and a biopsy which confirmed the diagnosis.
"You always dread hearing those words," Cameron told The Times. "And then literally as they're coming out of the doctor's mouth you're thinking, 'Oh, no, he's going to say it. He's going to say it. Oh God, he said it'."
He received focal therapy for treatment, in which electrical pulses target and destroy cancer cells. A follow-up scan confirmed the treatment was successful.
Public Call for Screening
Cameron acknowledged his public platform gives him a responsibility to speak out, despite his reluctance to discuss personal health matters.
"I want to, as it were, come out," he told The Times. "I want to add my name to the long list of people calling for a targeted screening programme."
He added: "Let's be honest. Men are not very good at talking about their health. We tend to put things off. We're embarrassed to talk about something like the prostate, because it's so intricately connected with sexual health and everything else."
Cameron said he felt compelled to share his experience: "I would feel bad if I didn't come forward and say that I've had this experience. I had a scan. It helped me discover something that was wrong. It gave me the chance to deal with it."
Transform Trial Launches
Cameron's announcement comes days after the first eligible men in the UK were invited to join the Transform project, a major trial testing the most promising screening techniques for prostate cancer.
The project will compare various screening methods to current NHS diagnostic processes, including blood tests and biopsies. It is being delivered in partnership with the NHS through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which has committed £16 million in funding, with the remainder coming from charity Prostate Cancer UK.
The Screening Debate
There is currently no screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK because of concerns about the accuracy of PSA tests and the risk of overdiagnosis.
Cameron acknowledged the complexity: "I know it's not a slam dunk. There are respectable arguments against a screening programme. You've always got to think how many cases do we discover and how many misdiagnoses are there and how many people will be treated unnecessarily."
But he argued circumstances have changed: "It seems to me that quite a lot of things have changed over the last few years. The circumstances are changing. The arguments are changing, and so it's a really good moment to have another look at this."
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in males in the UK, with around 55,000 new cases every year and 12,000 deaths annually.
Chiara De Biase, director of health services at Prostate Cancer UK, welcomed Cameron's disclosure: "We're glad to hear that David Cameron found his prostate cancer at an early stage and had successful treatment. We thank him for sharing his story and in doing so raising vital awareness of this disease, which is completely curable if found early."
She added: "We lose 12,000 dads, brothers, sons and friends to this disease every year. We've reached a tipping point in the UK, with too many men dying from a curable disease and worse outcomes for men at higher risk like black men and men from working class communities. Prostate cancer is the last major cancer without a screening programme, and we need change now."
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
