Prostate Cancer UK Warns 5,000 Men Face Unnecessary Overtreatment in UK

Up to 5,000 men annually in the UK could avoid unnecessary treatment for prostate cancer if the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updated its guidelines to reflect current medical evidence, according to Prostate Cancer UK. The charity highlights that outdated NICE guidance has created inconsistent approaches across hospitals, leading to a 'postcode lottery' where some men undergo harmful overtreatment with risks such as erectile dysfunction and incontinence, while others receive appropriate monitoring. Active surveillance, involving close monitoring with blood tests and scans, is considered the best option for men with slow-growing, low-risk prostate cancer, which accounts for about one in four diagnoses. However, with NICE guidance not updated since 2021, many hospitals either rely solely on this outdated guidance or have developed their own protocols, causing confusion among healthcare providers. Prostate Cancer UK urges NICE to revise the guidelines to better support a national screening programme and prevent overtreatment. Experts emphasize that updated guidance would help distinguish which patients need immediate treatment and which can be safely monitored, improving patient outcomes and reducing unnecessary side effects.