Former PM, Cameron, calls for screening of prostate cancer to high-risk men

London -- Former British Prime Minister, David Cameron, has called for screening of prostate cancer to high-risk men.

Talking to The Times newspaper, Lord Cameron revealed that he was treated for prostate cancer himself.

Lord Cameron, 59, told the Times newspaper his wife had insisted he go for a check-up after they listened to a BBC radio interview with entrepreneur Nick Jones, who was campaigning for more men to be tested after being diagnosed himself.

The former PM had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test earlier this year, followed by an MRI scan and a biopsy. He was then treated with focal therapy, which targets the area where the tumour is present using methods such as ultrasound waves to destroy cancer cells.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in males in the UK, with around 55,000 new cases every year, BBC reported.

“I want to support a call by Prostate Cancer Research for screening to be offered to high-risk men,” he said.

The cancer is most common in older age - particularly among men over 75. Cases in the under-50s are rare. It is also more common in black men.

"I don't particularly like discussing my personal intimate health issues, but I feel I ought to," Lord Cameron said.

"Let's be honest. Men are not very good at talking about their health. We tend to put things off."

But he said, "I sort of thought, well, this has happened to you, and you should lend your voice to it."

Lord Cameron, Conservative prime minister between 2010 and 2016, and later foreign secretary in Rishi Sunak's government, said, "I had a scan. It helped me discover something that was wrong. It gave me the chance to deal with it."

There is currently no screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK because of concerns about the accuracy of PSA tests.

Director of Prostate Cancer UK, Chiara De Biase, praised Lord Cameron for sharing his story and raising "vital awareness".

"We lose 12,000 dads, brothers, sons and friends to this disease every year. We've reached a tipping point in the UK, with too many men dying from a curable disease," De Biase said.

"Prostate cancer is the last major cancer without a screening programme, and we need change now."

Health minister Wes Streeting  said he had "asked the NHS to look at the case for lowering the age" for routine PSA tests. Current NHS guidelines for England say anyone can request a test if they are over the age of 50.