CHAPS calls for smarter, joined-up approach to prostate health as UK looks to Europe for lessons on early detection.
CHAPS, the leading prostate screening charity, is holding a unique workshop aiming to tackle the conflicting messages men are receiving about the disease.
The workshop will take place in London on 26 November and will examine how the UK can develop a more patient-centred approach to prostate health – including earlier detection of prostate cancer alongside better diagnosis and treatment of benign prostate disease.
Keynote speakers will include CHAPS patron Sir James Cleverly MP and Professor Hein Van Poppel, architect of the PRAISE-U project, which is testing risk-based approaches to prostate cancer screening across Europe.
Speaking ahead of the event, Prof Chris Booth, CHAPS founder and a former consultant urologist with more than 25 years’ experience in urology, says the UK should learn from the European pilots and develop a smarter model suited to the needs of men in this country.
“Our problem now in the UK is that men are totally confused by conflicting messages on prostatic disease,” said Prof Booth. “They are increasingly aware of the risks of prostate cancer and are asking for tests, yet at the same time there is uncertainty about how those men should be assessed, what happens after a PSA test and how their wider prostate health should be managed. We need to provide a new style of service that efficiently caters for both benign disease management and early detection of prostate cancer.”
The workshop comes as Europe develops new approaches to risk-based prostate cancer screening. PRAISE-U – the Prostate cancer Awareness and Initiative for Screening in the European Union – has brought together 25 organisations from 10 countries to demonstrate how smarter early detection can be delivered, with pilot studies now involving thousands of men.
“Our aim is to learn from what colleagues in Europe are doing and understand how we can implement this into our practice in this country,” said Prof Booth.
Sir James Cleverly MP, who has himself had a PSA test after becoming aware of his increased risk, said a national approach to earlier detection could save lives.
“Caught early, prostate cancer can be successfully treated,” said Sir James. “But too many men are dying because their symptoms are not caught early enough. We know who is most at risk: black men, men over 50 and those with a family history of the disease. Now we have the tools to do something about it and the evidence which will be shared at this workshop will show why we need a national programme.”
Prof Booth says the UK faces two fundamental problems: fragmentation between primary and secondary care, and the absence of a coherent approach to men requesting prostate cancer screening.
CHAPS evidence shows that men presenting for screening may also have significant untreated benign disease. Of more than 12,000 men joining the CHAPS programme between 2022 and 2025, 974 had an abnormal PSA result. Specialist urology referral was recorded for 350 men, among whom 178 prostate cancers were diagnosed. Of those diagnosed, 140 received radical treatment with curative intent.
“The lack of a joined-up approach means benign disease can remain untreated until complications arise, while hospital services are also dealing with inappropriate urgent suspected-cancer referrals,” said Prof Booth. “We want to design a flexible, integrated community service that can triage men presenting with urinary symptoms and/or requesting prostate cancer screening into the appropriate diagnostic pathway, in accordance with NHS guidelines. We are at a crossroads. The question is how we create a smarter system that gives men clearer answers, identifies those who need further investigation and treatment earlier, and makes better use of NHS resources.”
The CHAPS workshop will be held on 26th November at The Urology Foundation in London.
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