What recent consideration it has given to widening access to PSA tests to help increase the early detection of prostate cancer.

The Scottish Government relies on advice on prostate screening from the UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC).The UK NSC does not currently recommend population screening for prostate cancer – this was last reviewed in November 2020. As part of this review, the use of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test to identify prostate cancers was considered.The PSA test identifies the levels of PSA in a male’s blood, however, levels can be raised for a number of reasons and doesn’t confirm the individual has prostate cancer. As a result, while the PSA test can be one helpful tool for GPs when assessing a patient, the test is not definitive enough to detect prostate cancer which may require treatment, can falsely find people who do not have prostate cancer and can also miss some cancers. Therefore, the UK NSC determined that the test would not be a suitable test for a national expansion.It is anticipated that the UK NSC will review their recommendation for prostate screening in 2024-25, and will take account of any new evidence as part of that process.