According to Prostate Cancer UK, one in eight men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime, so clearly for those men being able to obtain a fast diagnosis is critical to their health and future outlook.

The JMW clinical negligence team have seen the devastating impact a delayed diagnosis of cancer can have on a patient and their family. A delayed cancer diagnosis can stem from a patient not being referred to a specialist in a timely manner or an investigation result being incorrectly reported, such as a scan.

Sir Chris Hoy, Olympic Cyclist, raised a significant amount of awareness following his own diagnosis of prostate cancer last year and it is encouraging to learn that more men are actively searching for information about prostate cancer. My colleague, Lucy Mellor, has also written a blog on the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer.

To help the NHS to diagnose prostate cancer at the earliest opportunity home testing kits are sent to some men who have symptoms. However, the kits are also available for purchase from websites such as Amazon. The kits have been designed to show a positive result for a high level of PSA (Protein Specific Antigen) detected in the blood, however, the accuracy of these home tests have raised concerns. A recent article published by the BBC found that rapid at home prostate tests provided inconsistent and, in some cases, inaccurate test results. In the article, five tests using the same blood sample were analysed which found that one test gave a false positive result, three tests were either negative or ‘all clear’ and another test was inconclusive.

It is important to bear in mind that the home tests do not have the benefit of a medically qualified professional interpreting the results and given the wide range of results found from a single blood sample raises questions about the reliability of the test. There were also examples of men using a home test (which looks similar to a Covid-19 lateral flow test) who then attended their GP and underwent NHS testing which gave a completely different result. 

Unlike other cancers, such as bowel cancer, there is currently no national screening programme for prostate cancer. A high PSA reading does not necessarily mean you have prostate cancer, but it is a symptom which can require further investigation to rule out a cancer diagnosis.

The message still remains to see your GP if you are worried you may have symptoms of cancer. The earlier cancer is detected and treated, the greater your chance of a good outcome.