Promising research results justify immediate rollout for high-risk men, say experts
Imagine a future where fewer men undergo painful biopsies, fewer are diagnosed with and treated for effectively harmless cancers, and more lives are saved through early detection of aggressive disease. Thanks to strong advocacy involving Paul Strickland Scanner Centre, that future is fast becoming a reality.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, but screening for it has long been controversial. Traditional tests, like the PSA blood test, can lead to unnecessary biopsies and the detection of slow-growing cancers that may never cause harm. This can result in anxiety, overtreatment, and avoidable side effects. But now, a powerful new approach is emerging – and Paul Strickland Scanner Centre is at the forefront of it.
Recent international trials, including the Göteborg-2 and Stockholm-3 MRI (STHLM3-MRI) studies, have shown that using MRI scans to guide prostate cancer screening is not only safer but also more effective. These studies followed thousands of men over two rounds of screening and found that MRI scans can help doctors focus only on those who truly need a biopsy.
The analysis results are striking. In the first round of screening, MRI scans helped avoid unnecessary biopsies in around 60% of men with raised PSA levels. Even better, the number of aggressive cancers detected went up, while the number of harmless cancers found dropped dramatically. In the second round, the benefits were even greater, with fewer men needing biopsies and a higher percentage of aggressive cancers being caught.
Prof. Anwar Padhani, Lead Consultant for MRI at Paul Strickland Scanner Centre, recently co-authored the final article in a four-part series on the research published in JAMA Oncology, together with Dr. Ivo Schoots, Radiologist at Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam. Prof Padhani said: “This research shows that MRItargeted screening can transform how we detect prostate cancer. It means fewer men go through unnecessary procedures, and more lives can be saved by catching dangerous cancers earlier.”
The research analysis confirms that it’s safe to skip biopsies in men with raised PSA but clear MRI scans, at least for two years. This is a significant step forward in reducing the physical and emotional toll of prostate cancer screening. The findings are so promising that experts are now calling for the immediate rollout of MRI for men at high risk of cancer, and thereafter, global studies to explore how MRI-based screening could be rolled out at scale. This includes ensuring the technology is accessible, affordable, and consistently used across different healthcare systems.
Paul Strickland Scanner Centre is now actively campaigning for a national screening programme for men at high risk of developing prostate cancer, in collaboration with charity Prostate Cancer Research and other partners.
