Fergus WalshMedical editor
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A major prostate cancer screening trial aimed at finding the best way to detect the disease has been launched in the UK.
The first letters have been sent out from GPs inviting men to join the study, the biggest of its kind in decades.
The £42m Transform trial is funded by Prostate Cancer UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
Hashim Ahmed, trial chief investigator, said: “Transform is truly game-changing… the start of recruitment today marks a pivotal step towards getting the results men urgently need to make prostate cancer diagnosis safe and more effective so that we can unlock the potential of prostate cancer screening in the UK.”
The trial will recruit men aged 50-74, with a lower age limit of 45 for black men, who have twice the risk of developing and dying from prostate cancer compared with white men.
It won’t be possible to volunteer for the trial, but Prostate Cancer UK is strongly encouraging anyone who receives a letter to take part.
The trial will look at how rapid MRI scans of the prostate could be combined with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests in orde
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