More than three quarters of men would attend prostate cancer screening if asked, a new poll has found.
Cancer screening experts are currently assessing whether the UK should introduce a screening programme for prostate cancer with a decision expected before the end of the year.
Now a new survey has revealed that 79% of men have said they would attend if asked.
Support was highest among men aged 65-74, those who reported that they are financially “very comfortable” and black men, according to the Savanta poll of 3,575 men over the age of 18 in England.
The survey, conducted on behalf of Healthwatch England, also found that support dipped among people who sad they were struggling financially.
The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is a blood test which is currently used to check for prostate conditions including prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate.
Routine PSA testing is not currently offered on the NHS but patients may be offered a PSA test if a GP suspects they have prostate cancer.
Men over the age of 50 can ask their GP for a PSA test, even if they do not have symptoms.
There have been an increasing number of calls for the test to be rolled out across the health service and officials have been assessing the feasibility of a prostate cancer screening programme.
The Healthwatch survey also included 1,706 men over the age of 50 who were asked about PSA tests.
Among these, 36% said they had asked for a PSA test while 60% said they had not requested one.
And 7% of those who had asked for a PSA test claimed that they had been refused
Louise Ansari, chief executive of Healthwatch England said: “Contrary to evidence that men are reluctant to attend health services, our findings show that most men would attend a national prostate cancer screening programme if one were set up, especially the most at risk groups, such as black men and older men.
“We are urging policymakers to consider men’s views, alongside clinical and economic evidence, when reaching a decision on whether (and how) to introduce a national screening programme.
“Our research also shows that the NHS needs to clarify national guidance to GPs on asymptomatic testing, and that men can get an appointment to discuss the pros and cons and be tested for prostate cancer if they choose.”
Commenting, Amy Rylance, assistant director of health improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “It’s great to see evidence of what we know to be true from the thousands of men we reach daily, that most would take up the offer of screening if a safe and effective NHS programme existed.
“Prostate cancer is the last major cancer without a screening programme.
“We submitted evidence to the National Screening Committee in 2022, and await their decision before the end of the year.
“We’re also working to build that safe and effective screening programme for all men with our £42 million Transform trial, which we expect to start delivering results to influence future screening decisions in the next few years.
“But there is lifesaving action the Government can take right now, overhaul outdated NHS guidelines to empower GPs to proactively start conversations about prostate cancer with men at highest risk from the age of 45.