Prostate cancer screening pilot scheme in Waterford and Dublin

Prostate cancer can cause bladder problems for men. Ireland's first-ever prostate cancer screening trial is part of the Praise-U project partly funded by the EU. Picture: iStock

Irish men could see faster access to prostate cancer treatment as a first-ever trial for screening using the traditional test and MRI scans rolls out across Waterford and Dublin.

Prostate cancer affects one in six men in Ireland. Early detection can be limited by stigma, misinformation, and unequal access to testing.

The Irish leg of the Prostate cancer Awareness and Initiative for Screening in the European Union (Praise-U) study is hoping to find that using an at-home kit followed by MRI scans if neccessary will boost detection rates.

The project team will randomly select men from urban and rural areas of Waterford and Dublin. They aim to have 5,000 men enrolled and expect to contact up to 10,000 to reach that target.

Home test and MRI

Men who consent to taking part will be sent a home-test kit containing a finger prick prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.

Any man whose test indicates a potential risk of prostate cancer can be referred to one of the HSE’s rapid access prostate clinics. There are three nationally, including at University Hospital Waterford.

Alan Smith, consultant in public health medicine, HSE, national screening service, said this is “a significant leap forward”.

Assessment at the rapid access clinics will include ultrasound and MRI scanning, he explained.

This is a new step in the process.

It means this study can look “to see if that combination of home test plus targeted scanning and MRI” can identify men who will benefit from treatment more effectively than the PSA on its own, he also told RTÉ.

While PSA testing has been shown to reduce prostate cancer deaths by up to 40%, not all men with this cancer have high PSA levels. High PSA levels can also be caused by other prostate conditions.

The results will also be used to evaluate the case for funding a population-wide screening programme, he added.

This project is “a vital step” in transforming prostate cancer care according to David Galvin, UCD associate clinical professor and urologist at St Vincent’s and Mater Hospitals. Prof Galvin said: 

We aim to improve early detection, introduce equality in prostate cancer detection, reduce unnecessary interventions, and ultimately save lives. 

He thanked men’s health charity Movember and the HSE’s national screening service for their support.

Karen Robb from Movember described the project as “groundbreaking” for men.

She said it will “ensure men at risk of prostate cancer are identified and supported earlier than ever before.”

Praise-U is a three-year project co-funded by the EU.

Information from the Irish study as well as others in Spain, Poland, and Lithuania will feed into decisions around whether screening programmes should be established in each country.

• More information can be found at ProstateCheck.ie.