Dame Diana Johnson

I will carry on because I am conscious of time and I want to make these points. I want to address directly the concern about the evidence underpinning the current screening recommendation. The committee considered the current NHS standard of care, which includes the use of MRI before biopsy. It did not include newer and innovative approaches for which the evidence is not yet sufficiently established. There are enormously encouraging advances taking place, including more targeted approaches, such as focal therapy. Better diagnosis and less harmful treatments could change the balance between the benefits and harms of screening, and as robust evidence develops, it will be considered. I also want to deal with the point about GPs. I have heard the strength of feeling about PSA testing for men who are not eligible for the new screening programme. I want to reassure men that the policy has not changed. Any man who is concerned about prostate cancer, including a man without symptoms, can discuss PSA testing with his GP. Separate from the decision on national screening programmes, it is my view and the Secretary of State’s view that men who ask their GP or urologist about a PSA test should be able to make an informed choice, based on good-quality information, about the likelihood of being helped or being harmed. The Secretary of State worked on this issue as a Health Minister at the Department almost 25 years ago, and personally ensured that the guidance includes references to the importance of informed choice.