Thousands of patients whose prostate cancer tests have to be reviewed on foot of a fault with the test kit will not be billed for repeat tests and biopsies — but just who will foot the bill remains unclear.

A test kit used as an aid in detecting prostate cancer at a Dublin hospital has been withdrawn after it emerged it was producing results that may have led to a substantial number of unnecessary biopsies.

A lack of standardisation among PSA tests for prostate cancer is worrying medics and saw a patient at Connolly Hospital receive an artificially elevated reading.

Cancer is a leading cause of deaths among men in this country, with more than 2,500 men diagnosed with prostate cancer annually. The risk rises with age, as men of 70 or older are almost seven times more likely to suffer from prostate cancer than men under 50.